Playstation All-Stars: The Era of Greatness
by Specter24
Summary: Over these past 2 decades, we have seen certain individuals do things that no one has accomplished, leaving us something to remember them by, and thus, earning the title of Greatness. Now, a new era has come where these great individuals must prove their worth once more. However, this ordeal will be something these legendary icons will not soon forget. Greatness awaits!
1. Prologue 1-3

**DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS: BATTLE ROYALE, NOR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I ALSO DO NOT PROFIT FROM THIS; I JUST DO THIS FOR FUN.

Hello everyone! It's been years since I've done a story, and I think it's about time for another big fic to go underway. This story is all about the Playstation Icons, as well as some third party characters in PSASBR. I've been going back and forth with this fic for a while now, and haven't gotten everything finalized just yet, but I might as well give the beginning for now, leaving you guys something to look forward to.

I've missed this site for so long. Let's get things started!

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Greatness... only few of the countless amount of creatures known and unknown to the masses are worthy of holding such a title. What is greatness, you may ask? Is it helping others in need? Is it being capable of achieving your goals? Is it a title for people to worship? Many, if not all individuals, find an answer that suits them best and move on with their lives. However, out of all the answers that have been said, no one knows the TRUE meaning of the title.

Indeed, Greatness can be shaped and formed in many ways, whether committing a good deed, performing stunts no else can, finding a lost treasure, or simply doing things that make people notice regardless if they were good or bad actions. The amount of things to do to be considered 'Great' are endless, but what does all that matter in the end? Do the actions of the 'Great' repeat themselves all over again, or do they actually end? One thing is for sure: Greatness is for those who leave an unforgettable legacy for those who either follow or avoid, to help them find a path in their lives, and to leave a mark on their land itself.

Unfortunately, as all things, greatness comes with a price. A price that is yet to be paid...

**^XO[]**

It is dark. In this unknown location, there is nothing but darkness in every corner. It is a vast area, with seemingly no living creature in sight. It is so dark that you can't even tell if there are any platforms at all, let alone a surface. If you were stay here for a while, even with a group of people, you would lose your sanity in just a matter of seconds. This place has nothing to offer; it is just a pitch black area forever to remain undiscovered by anybody or by anything, which is probably for the best. Although, for every kind of location, even there is always that one thing that always stands out the most.

A speck of light then appears from above. A small sphere that emanates a dim light, a rarity in this unknown location. It gently descends lower into the darkness, glowing brighter and dimmer along the way. A few seconds has passed as more light spheres appear and began to follow the same route. The lights from their shapes were bright enough to show a few objects floating around, but just barely as it is still hard to tell what they are.

After a few more seconds together, the spheres of light then slowly spread out and took different routes. All the spheres went into different locations, all but one, which remains heading down into the darkness. The sphere descends for a while longer, until it suddenly loses its shape.

The sphere landed on something. Judging how the orb lost its shape, it appeared to have landed on something big and round. The sphere then regains it's natural shape, slowly bouncing off the platform it landed on. It flew up for just a bit as it remained stationary in the air for a few seconds before it slowly goes down again. The sphere lands on the platform again, only this time, instead of bouncing up from it, the platform absorbs the sphere, dimming the light that it emanates as it was being sucked in. The sphere is then fully absorbed, with the light now swallowed by the darkness.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr..."

A loud groan can be heard throughout this area. Something is here. Something really big.

It is quiet once again. Everything seems to have returned to its quiet dark self. After an uncertain amount of time, more spheres of light appear, and descend gently past the big round surface. As the spheres past by, the light they emanate reveal a structure, which appears to be a massive orb big enough for a giant to fit in. It is also somewhat transparent, as the light was bright enough to reveal something inside the orb. Something big and moving.

The creature within the orb groans from the sphere it absorbed moments ago, as it was seeing bright flashes popping into its mind. The flashes became more and more frequent, causing the creature to wince as it went on.

"Grrroooo... GROOOOooo..."

This went on for a couple of more seconds until the flashes then flash into different colors. The creature grit its teeth in pain as its structure begins to flash the same colors it is seeing in its head. With each second passing by, the creature screamed in agony, shaking back and forth, left to right, causing the orb it is in to shake and the light spheres around it to disperse at a fast rate. The flashes that the creature is emanating are getting brighter with each flash, showing different kind of structures and shapes floating in place in different parts of the area for those brief moments. The flashes then end with one bright flash, that caused the creature to scream.

"GWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The creature screams loud enough to create an echo throughout the area, an echo that feels like it could last for ages. The creature's figure emanates a bright white light, the same light that it is seeing inside its head. The sheer noise from the scream is so loud, it began to crack and destroy the structures floating within its range. The screaming feels like it could last forever, but fortunately for the area, the creature finally stops and gazes upward silently. The echo stops shortly after, as the light from the creature also begins to fade. The creature slowly closed its eyes as his light dims until it was no longer there. The creature's pain now seems to be gone, as it and everything in the area continue to where it left off as it did before this moment occurred. And just like that, it did. The area returns to its dark and quiet state as if nothing happened.

A few seconds pass, and once again, more light spheres begin to appear and gently descend past the creature's orb. Suddenly, as more light spheres begin to appear, a small crack surfaces in front of the creature's orb.

The creature's eyes then open instantly.

Upon opening its eyes, the creature's orb emanates a bright yellow color, lighting a small portion of its surroundings. All the spheres of light around the creature then stopped in place, reacting to the creature's energy. Then, one by one, the spheres slowly move towards the creature's orb. The creature absorbs the spheres one at a time, but unlike what happened previously, the creature does not react negatively to the spheres, but is pleased instead. With each orb it absorbs, the creature becomes more happy, as it was seeing the same flashes as before and emanated the same light it is seeing from its head. And yet, it didn't bother the creature. In fact, it couldn't be more comfortable.

More spheres from a distance are being drawn into the orb, as the orb is taking more spheres than it did before. The creature's figure flashes into a multitude of colors from the spheres it absorbs, as it then opens its eyes again and lets out a grin.

What was once thought that this dark area had nothing to offer is now all for this creature's taking. This one creature, which is the thing that stands out the most in this place, now rules this area as its leader. However, whether this is for the best for this land, remains to be seen.

The creature continues absorbing the spheres, as farther away in the distance, more spheres are in the vicinity, waiting to be consumed.


	2. Prologue 2-3

**I have returned with a new chapter! Now, this chapter focuses on the main characters' introductions and worlds, so that's why it looks huge. I promise the next chapters won't be this long. I have these bookmarks - ^ O X [] \- in between intros to make things easier to read and get back to.  
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**Before you read on, Playstation All-Stars has characters from different series, as well as those from M-rated games. I like to keep characters as accurate as possible, so be warned that their will be some images around the M-rated category from time to time.  
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**I hope you enjoy!**

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**^ O X []  
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The sun slowly rises over the horizon, shining its light over the land before it. A particular small neighborhood basks in the sunlight, with the light reflecting back from windows, water, steel pipes and the sort.

It seems to be a regular morning in this ordinary, peaceful neighborhood somewhere in Japan. It isn't a special place that really stands from other places, but it does have its unique sights. In the center of the neighborhood, down the grassy hills and small field of grass, lies a big river flowing beneath a big bridge that crosses over it, and between the bridge are plenty of traditional Japanese houses side by side, most of them appearing the same as the other. The neighborhood also has a baseball field, dojos, schools, and a city close by. It's nothing really out of the ordinary for a common place such as this, but it is home for the people that live here.

As the river glistens from receiving the sun's light and warmth, several fish make their way along the stream. One of them notices a worm wiggling near a rock just ways of its path. The fish leaves its group, goes to the worm and chops down on it. What the poor thing didn't notice that it is caught, as the worm is attached to a hook and string, which pulls the fish out of the river.

"Yes! Got another one!" A fisherman exclaimed happily upon catching the fish.

A fisherman is enjoying his morning fishing near the river on the grassy field beneath the bridge, sitting on a fold-able chair with fishing gear on one side and a net full of fish on the other. The fisherman unhooks the fish and puts it with the rest of the fishes he caught as a jogger then appears jogging on the road above the hill and notices the fisherman.

"Good morning!" The jogger said happily, catching the fisherman's attention.

"Oh, good morning!" The Fisherman waved back happily, "Beautiful morning today, isn't it?"

"It sure is!" The jogger replied, raising her knees up and down in place, "That's a lot of fish you got there. You must have been up really early to catch all of those."

"Heh heh! You know what they say: The early bird catches the worm!"

"That is true." The jogger then starts jogging, "Well, have a good day!"

"You too! Bye!"

The Fisherman continues on fishing as the other residents are also beginning their day. In another part of the neighborhood, two kids are running along happily down a road, hurrying to get to school, passing by an electrician, who was instructing a less experienced co-worker up on a ladder against an electric pole what to do. There is also an old woman sweeping the dust off her front off her front porch and a paper-boy riding his bicycle while tossing newspapers to each house he goes past.

It's another ordinary day in this peaceful neighborhood. However, there is one thing that has yet to be mentioned:

Almost everybody in this neighborhood are cats.

Yes, instead of humans, there are anthropomorphic cats living as people would. They are all around 2 ft/60.9 cm tall, with big heads, round hands and feet, and cutesy faces. There are still humans in this world, as well as other anthropomorphic like dogs and rabbits, but as far as this neighborhood goes, the cats are the majority.

The morning went on as the paper boy continued along his regular route. He rode his bicycle a little far off from the other houses as he grabs a newspaper from his bag and tosses it from his side in front of an old brick house.

It's an old, brown, two-story house, with a big yard and a small wooden fence around it. There a few trees with no leaves in the yard as well. The house itself has a green tile roof, as well as the ceiling shades over the windows and the porches on the front and right side of the house. There is a red mailbox hanging on one of the support beams of the front porch, and the front entrance has a classic Japanese doorway that opens from the side.

The front door then opens as someone comes out and stands on the front porch. It's a white bob-tailed cat with pink cheeks, black eyebrows, dotted eyes, and always having a nice, happy look on his face. He isn't that much different from the other residents in the neighborhood, other than not wearing any clothes for some reason. But, aside from the lack of an attire, this cat stands out from all the other cats in the neighborhood, probably from all the cats in the entire world. This cat is not only the nicest cat you will ever see, but this is a cat with a great ambition to make his dream come true, and a cat that is so caring that he is willing to put his life long dream aside to help others in need. This is a cat that is worth knowing about - Toro Inoue.

"MMmmm!" Toro raises his arms, stretching his body after a good night's sleep as he basks in the morning sun, "Aahhh! What a beautiful morning!" Toro said happily. Toro then lets out a small yawn as he then notices the newspaper in front of him, "Oh, goodie! the paper is here. I hope it stays sunny all day."

Toro goes and picks up his newspaper, and heads back inside the house. He walks into the living room, which is moderately big, with a clean wooden floor, a small wooden shelf to the right, and a green ceiling light hanging up in the middle of the room. Toro walks across the living room, getting near a brown door to the right and a white sliding door in front of him. Toro opens the slide door and enters his apartment.

Toro's apartment isn't the biggest of apartments to live in, but it's his home. On the bottom right side corner of Toro's room lies a small refrigerator, with a few cute refrigerator magnets on the front, and a blue dish ornament on a stand on top of it. Next to the fridge is a 3 tier wooden shelf, with the bottom and center tier having 3 different colored tissue boxes each, and the top tier with a trophy of some kind, and on top of the shelf is a yellow duck clock. Next to the shelf is a remote controlled toy race care and toy tank side by side, and on the upper right side corner, there is another shelf, only bigger and has drawers in different sizes. On top the shelf is a video game console with a lamp next to it. On the end of the room is the only squared window with yellow curtains. The window is big enough to get a nice view of the yard, neighborhood, and the bridge. On the further left side corner is an old television set, with a small table with a yellow tablecloth on it with a floral pattern and two pink chairs with a pattern of white diamond shapes in front of it. On the the left is a sliding door to the closet, and on the bottom corner lies a small brown trash bin.

The walls are light honey colored, as well as the floor, which also a few purple stripes on some parts. There are a few posters of video games and anime on the wall except the one where the window is. There is a calender near the doorway, and lastly, there is a thin glass vase with a sun flower in it.

Toro walks up to his table, pulls up his chair, and sits down as he begins to read his morning paper. "Hmm... oh! Yay! It is going to be sunny today! I'm so happy! Meow!" Toro exclaimed happily, "Now I can figure out what to do today."

As Toro continued to read more of his paper, his television then turned on. On the screen is a simple image of white lines in shape of the upper body of a cat.

"Good morning, Toro." The TV said.

"Oh, good morning." Toro replied as he put the paper down, "Did you sleep well?"

The screen then showed the cat blushing as it then raises it's arms up, "Oh, yes! I slept very well, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that."

The screen then reverted back to its original image, "Is that this morning's newspaper?"

"Yes!" Toro showed the Television the newspaper, "It says it's going to be sunny all day. Isn't that great?"

"It sounds wonderful! What do you plan on doing today?"

"Hmm..." Toro rubs his chin as he thinks deeply for a few seconds. Toro then hunches over, "I have no idea..."

"Oh..."

It got quiet for a few seconds until Toro brightens up, "I know! I should probably eat first. That will help me think what to do today."

"Good idea! What are you going to to eat?" The Television notices that Toro was going to try to think again, so it quickly makes a suggestion, "Oh! How about some Natto rolls?"

Toro's eyes glisten with joy, "Oh! That's a wonderful idea, Television. I haven't eaten Natto Rolls in a long time!" Without a moment to lose, Toro goes to the fridge to pick the ingredients and tools necessary to prepare his favorite breakfast dish. He opens the fridge and takes out all the ingredients, and places it back on the table. Toro then opens his closet, and takes out his pressure cooker and puts it on the center of the table next to the ingredients. "I'm so excited! I can already taste the rolls! Meow!"

DING-DONG!

"Somebody is at the door, Toro." The Television said, breaking Toro's train of thought.

"Oh? I wonder who could it be this early?"

Toro leaves his room and goes to the front door. Toro opens the door to see a black cat wearing a red bow-tie, leaning his arm up against the porch's support beam. This cat, while smug and selfish at times, and may not be the best individual to hang around with, is Toro's best friend and sidekick - Kuro.

"Oh! It's you, Kuro." Toro said, surprised to see his friend at his doorstep.

"Oi, Toro. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kuro asked with a grin.

"I'm surprised to see you this early!" Toro replied, "Where have you been as of late? I haven't seen you in a few days."

"Oh, you know, here and there. Wherever the wind takes me." Kuro said with a smile and a shake of his head, "I just wanted to stop by and see how my best-est buddy in the whole world is doing this morning."

"Really? That's really nice of you." Toro replied happily.

"Yeah yeah, nice, whatever. Speaking of nice-" Kuro then lightly taps Toro's shoulder with his elbow, "You don't mind if you can have YOUR best-est buddy over for breakfast now, would ya?"

Toro blinked, "Oh, um... the thing is, I just started making breakfast, and-"

"Perfect! I'll watch you make it while I wait!" Kuro exclaimed happily as he then walks past Toro and lets himself inside his house. Toro watched on a little annoyed as Kuro entered his room. "Hey, are you making Natto rolls? I don't like those. Can we have something else instead?"

The TV in the room then showed an angry face, "Don't be rude, you free loader!" The Television then summoned a dish pan from out of thin air and drops it on Kuro's head.

BONK!

"OW! What was that for!?" Kuro exclaimed. Kuro and the Television start to argue, while Toro merely lets out a sigh and smiles.

"It's okay, dear television. I don't mind making something else for Kuro too." Toro said before going back inside and his front door.

Kuro sounds very pleased judging by the noises inside the house as the morning continues to be nice and pleasant, with the sun being as bright as ever.

**^ O X []**

It's a hot scorching day in the desert canyons of Arizona. Very few travel along the roads in these vast desert locations. Most people don't tend to drive through these parts of the state simply because it's just too hot and exhausting to do, not to mention the chances of your car breaking down and having to walk to the nearest gas station in the heat. Smugglers and kidnappers can also be a potential reason to avoid these desert roads, but they don't appear as often as people like to think.

In these times, though, it's best to think whatever you want to avoid this desert road or any other road for that matter, because you won't have any time to change your mind once you start driving in the same pavement HE might be driving in.

Route 95 is a straight road between several desert canyons with a small town far south. The road lasts for miles in one straight line, having nothing but the same scenery along the way. If you look closely on the road, you can see the dark pavement letting out vapors from the hot sun. Further along the path, you can see a transceiver lying in the middle of the road, with a voice speaking from it.

"Car 35. We received a report that you were in pursuit on a 11-54 near the incident this morning. We have lost contact with car 37 and 43 along in the pursuit moments ago. What is your status?" The voice said from the transceiver. A few seconds pass as the voice speaks again, "Car 35, please respond... ... ... there is no answer. Calling all cars: we have lost contact with three vehicles on the-BRZZZTT!"

The transceiver short circuits as a flow of blood appears and streams in and out of the device. A few seconds pass as the transceiver then catches on fire by a burning police car standing on its side. The police car is completely destroyed, with all the windows broken and it's car structure covered in dents and bullet holes, with a puddle of blood underneath. The car is engulfed in flames, letting out a black smoke going higher and higher up in the sky.

The car isn't the only thing there; two other police cars are there as well, with one car outside the road, burning to a crisp. Inside the car you can see the bodies of police officers being burnt away in their seats. The other car seems to have been blasted into bits as pieces of it could be seen in several parts of the road, with some of them engulfed in flames or smoke. A few bodies can been seen in the road as well, most of them missing a limb or two. One corpse in particular was that of a female police officer with her face burnt off, and her hands grasping onto a shotgun. A shadow then casts over the corpse, which is then dragged away.

On the left side of the road is another corpse of a police officer, lying on his back with his arms and legs spread out, with his abdomen gashed open and rubble punctured into different parts of his body. Two vultures can be seen near the body, eating the remains from the fatal wounds. The officer died with his face petrified into a horrified state, mostly covered in his own blood, and dried tears running up on his forehead. What ended this man and the other officers' lives seems to be something they weren't prepared to face or were just simply no match for at all regardless what they knew beforehand. One could say that they got more than they bargained for.

And that's when he appears. Back on the main road, a distance from the corpse, somebody can be seen from afar, with the vapors from the heat blurring his appearance and his surroundings. He walks past the mess, not giving a care whatsoever. A loud sound can be heard from what the individual is dragging along the pavement, something sharp and bloody. The individual walks past the mess, making his way towards to what appears to be an ice cream truck.

The truck is a huge white Chevrolet step-van with a pink polka dot pattern, with the dots varying in size. This isn't any ordinary ice-cream truck, however. The truck is equipped with gatling guns on both sides over the front tires and below rear-view mirrors. The windows are bullet-proof glass and the lower to the midsection of the truck is reinforced with a metal padding, with 4 thick spikes on the bumper; two long ones near the bottom center and two 1/3 the size on the front sides. On top of the truck is a model of a big bobbing head of a grinning, demonic clown with a fiery head. It is safe to say that this vehicle is anarchy on wheels.

The individual slowly walks past the side of the truck as the vapors from the heat begin to clear, giving off a better look at the person himself. He is seen stopping at the back side of his truck, as the eerie sound also stopped, which turns out to be he his machete he is holding underhanded, dragging it across the pavement.

He is a large man, standing in 6'8" ft/2.03 m tall, wearing a pair of white clown pants with red large polka dots, suspended up with a leather harness with a ring over the front center of his stomach. He is also wearing brown gloves and combat boots; and above all else, strapped to his face, he is wearing a ceramic mask depicting a demonic clown, grinning sadistically with its big red nose, its left blue eye with a cross over it, and some red hair on the leather straps over the temples. The mask is worn out as you can see the teeth of the mask are cracked and chipped, as well as other parts of it here and there, which, ironically, helps making it look more disturbing. From the mask's right eye hole, you can see the man's eye, with his pupil as red as the corpses lying on the road. The man is also bald; nothing on his head but the leather straps holding his mask in place, as well as a tall flame that never goes out, giving this man a never-ending burning sensation that he has grown accustomed to.

The dangerous man turns and faces the back of the truck. He drops a bag he was holding with his left hand as he then opens the back door, revealing all sorts of weaponry and ammunition stashed neatly in place along the walls, in boxes and so on. The man picks up his bag and goes into the truck. Hunched over, he empties the bag, showing all the weapons and scrap metal he scavenged from the wreckage on the road. He takes his time and puts them all in place, just about running out of room for more things to stash. After putting everything away, he gazes over his shoulder, looking at a worn out, ice cream cooler with a happy faced Ice cream cone depicting on the lid.

The man then hops out, holding a cone of cotton candy. He closes the door as he makes his way in front of the truck walking around its left side.

"You'd think after leaving a bag with a head of a little boy inside in front of a police station would get them to send all their troops after me," The man said with a voice that can send chills down your spine, "But only three cars managed to find me, and not even last 3 minutes." The man stands beside one of the large spikes in the front of his truck, "Hmph! Cops just don't even try any more..." The man sits down on the length of the spike, taking a look at the destruction he caused, thinking about the lives he took, and wondering where he will be going next... it's just another day for this killer clown - Sweet Tooth.

Sweet Tooth slightly raises his mask over his forehead as he takes a bite of his cotton candy. He rests his arm on his knee, looking at the ground quietly. As seconds pass, Sweet Tooth begins to block out the sounds of the flames and vultures nearby and recalls his past 'achievements'. The thrill of seeking out his victims and the joy felt upon ripping his prey in two or running them over with his truck. One of his favorite things is to hear the jingle from his truck mixed in with the screams of his victims before ending their lives. Day after day is the same thing; Sweet Tooth goes against the moral order and always comes out the winner. But no one expects any less from the world's greatest killer.

And yet, with so much accomplished, Sweet Tooth looks unhappy. He lowers his mask back on, only finishing half of his cotton candy as he rests both elbows over his knees, as he looks disturbed by something.

BZZT!

A transceiver from the corpse of the officer on the rock then turns on, scaring away the vultures as they flew off, "Calling all cars; the suspect may be located near road 83. A chopper is sent out to confirm. All units move into location upon confirmation of the suspect. Over!"

Sweet Tooth sits up straight as he drops his cotton candy on the floor. "Now we're talking!"

Sweet Tooth then gets up and goes to his truck. He slams the door shut as he then takes out his key, with a key chain of the same fiery clown head on top of his truck attached with it, and puts it in the ignition slot and turns his vehicle on.

The ice cream truck then plays its jingle as Sweet Tooth drives forwardly, ramming past the cop car on its side out of the way, knocking a burnt, mutilated corpse of a police officer out of it in the process. Sweet Tooth drives away from the scene as the corpse lands hard on the middle of the hot road, which is getting even hotter the day goes by.

**^ O X []**

Cars are going back and forth on these busy roads, a regular thing in this city of Japan. It's a big city with buildings varying in size. Countless of people can be seen walking in side walks, with several of them crossing the street when the street lights are red. There are people hanging out in locations such as clean parks with a water fountains and trees, and a few hanging around in the alleyways, with the walls having graffiti, garbage cans and so on. There is rarely a moment's rest in this town, at least in the time of day.

You can also see a group of kids happily running along the side walk, trying to outrun each other.

"Ha ha ha! You can't catch me!" One of boys yelled as he was in the lead.

The other kids tried catching up as the slowest kid stopped to catch his breath.

"Ha... ha... oh?" The slow kid then looked to his left to see a big gate. Over the gate is an enormous building, towering over most of the other buildings in town. There is a long broad road past the gate slants upwards, wide enough to have at least 3 cars drive on it side by side. On the sides of the road are the garden sections with a set of big round bushes and flowers in a pattern, and there are several light posts on both sides on each of the garden sections as well. The rest of the frontal part of the territory is pretty massive, big enough to have a concert in or to just jog around on for hours.

Far ahead of the front area is the building itself. The front side portions of the building are more in front than the middle portion, which instead has a big open area with a staircase that leads to the main front door to the building. There are multiple entries to the building, such as the side entrances near the main one, the doorways from the other ends, and so on. The outer building is mostly windows with thin titanium steel bars in between. The windows on the ground are slanted outward, while the rest of the windows are up straight, with some levels having windows arching inward to make the tower-like building thinner as its going up.

The kids from before run back to meet with their friend as they too then gaze upon the building.

"It's so huge!" One of the kids said in awe.

"Whoever is on top of that building must be super rich. I bet they have over a gazillion yen to keep this place running."

"There is no such thing as a gazillion yen, you idiot!"

All the kids laughed as one of them started to run, "Come on, guys! Let's go to my house to play some Pacman!"

"Yeah!"

The kids then ran off, off to enjoy their day, as higher up in the building, you can see the logo of building resembling the letter 'G" in square shapes.

Somewhere inside the building, you can see a cylinder-shaped elevator going up. Inside, there is a woman with short brown hair wearing a red suit and skirt, and she is a holding a notepad. She stays quiet as the elevator takes her up on the top floor. The elevator doors open sideways upon arriving, as the woman then walks into a small waiting area that has a few chairs up against the right wall, and a secretary's desk on the far left corner. There is also some paintings of someone and some machinery hanging on the walls, as well as a few lamps lighting up the ceiling to make the area look nice. And there also appears to be a red carpet with white stripes on the side going across the center of the area. On the middle of the carpet, there appears to be a black logo of the letter G, the same logo as the one outside.

The woman walks across the area, walking up to an entrance guarded by two soldiers wearing moss green armor. The soldiers salute the woman as she walks past them without greeting them. The doors open automatically as the woman enters a massive room, the biggest office in the entire building.

The entire office room is made out of thick glass, especially the ground as it looks durable enough to take a direct hit from a missile and get a tiny scratch at best. The windows are bigger than the average ones on the lower floors, reaching as high up in making this room as big as a few floors of the building combined. The ceiling was also made of glass, with the front portion of the room having the windows arched slanted, as well as the front corners. A few support beam structures from the left and right side walls to the ceiling can also be seen holding all this room in place. On the back side of the building, outside the office, you can see the thick triangle metal structure going far up to form the very tip of the building itself, which you can see from the office thanks to the glass ceiling.

Looking out the window, at the front end of the office, you can see a big helipad a fewer levels down below, as well as a path leading there with a glass structure on both sides, which slants towards each other farther away from the helipad and stop close beside an elevator, which seems to be the only entry to this area. The glass structures also have slanted rooftops going inward, leading up around the office with a few windows standing straight along the way, giving the of the building a unique look from the other buildings around it.

There isn't much furniture in the office itself, as there is just the carpet from the waiting area going all the way across the office towards in front of a big desk, with two chairs in front of it. The woman walks across the room, as there is a man wearing a white suit and red gloves sitting in front of his desk. The man is watching some images and video recordings of something on the holographic monitors over his desk. Resting his hand over his cheek, the man notices the woman approaching him.

"Any updates?" The man asked without looking away from the monitors.

"Mishima Zaibatsu has remained inactive over these past two days." The woman replied, "Our sources indicate that Jin has been reported missing since his fight with Azazel. We believe the company is using their resources to locate him as we speak. The only ones left in charge are my sister and that capoeira kid."

"What about Lars?"

"We have not located his whereabouts. However, he was last seen with another man, who we suspect is the same man who destroyed Mishima Zaibatsu's guardian toy."

"Hrm..." the man closes his eyes with an annoyed look on his face.

"If you want my honest opinion, I say we strike them now that they're vulnerable." The woman lays her hand on her hip, "The longer we sit here doing nothing, the faster they're going to get back on their feet. My sister may be tough, but she is no leader. We can crush her like a bug and take Zaibatsu down once and for all!"

"We don't know that they are completely helpless or not." The man said, watching recorded footage of some soldiers and robots firing at something off-screen, "They still might have a trick or two up their sleeves, and the Tekken force from both Zaibatsu AND Lars' side are not to be taken lightly either." The man then clenches his fist, "I don't want to make any irrational decisions. Right now, I want to fix the damages Lars did here a few days ago, and I want you to keep me updated on Jin's and Lars' whereabouts. I will feel more comfortable knowing where they are and where they are going to be 24/7. Once we do, we can initiate a full frontal assault on Mishima Zaibatsu. I want all my troops and mechs to be ready when that day comes."

"Hmph! So much hassle for a defenseless target."

The man ignores her as he watches more recorded footage. The woman sighs as she turns and walks away. She then stops for a second and turns towards her boss.

"Oh, by the way, what about Heihachi?"

The man narrows his eyes as he then pauses the video he is watching. A few seconds pass without uttering a word as the man then smiles maliciously.

"Ha ha ha! That old man is just a shell of his former self. He can't do anything to stop me. He'll just live the rest of his days hiding in a corner as he watches me get everything he has worked so hard to obtain." The man scoffs, "There is no weight in those fists of his any more." The man laughed as he then spins his chair and faces in front of the windows, "But, for what it's worth, the last step before ruling this world would be finally killing that man with my own hands. I don't care how easy it will be; I just want to make him suffer to the fullest before he lets out his last breath."

The man looks at his palm with a grin as clenches his hand into a fist, generating blue electricity in the process. The woman, unfazed by her boss' reply, then takes her leave. She walks past the soldiers, who salute her as she then walks in the elevator and leaves the floor. After she left, one of the soldiers cracks his knuckles, and as he lays his hand down, a green light can be seen blinking underneath his glove.

**Meanwhile...**

A green light is blinking in a computer screen, which has a bunch of images of certain people and buildings, including the building the man and woman from earlier are in. A man wearing a black suit is typing something in his computer as he then unplugs a flash drive from the monitor's USB slot and hands it over to another man in a suit without looking at him. The other man leaves the room, holding the drive in his hand as he walks along a wooden path of a huge shrine.

The shrine is located on a big chunk of land somewhere up in the mountains far away from civilization. A big old Japanese gate and wall stood in front of the side of a mountain trail leading around the mountain. Past the gate is a three level Japanese shrine, big and spacious enough only the rich can afford. The shrine also has walls big as the front around it in a square, including a pond and some big rocks before it.

The man in the suit walks around the wooden path outside the main floor of the shrine, as he then makes his way to a small stone bridge, leading towards the shrine's back gate. Upon going through, the man steps into the back part of the land, mostly covered in brown leaves, as well as having trees with green leaves, with a few trees having red leaves here and there. The man walks along the path with small wooden fences on each side as at the end of the path lies a big square arena, with a stone handrail on its border and stone square tiles in the center. The area is in front of a big pond down below, with a waterfall falling from a rocky surface higher up. In the center of this tranquil arena is a man sitting with his legs crossed and his hands cupped in front of his stomach.

He's an old man, standing in 5'10" ft/1.77 m tall. He is mostly bald, only having spiky grey hair from the sides his skull, going up backwards at an angle. He also has a thick mustache going down past the sides of his lips, as well as having thick eyebrows, and is also pretty muscular. The man wears a blue pair of hakama pants with gold symbols on its lower sections, with the pants being held up by a golden kimono top around his waist, which also has symbols similar on his pants. He also has geta sandals for footwear, and is also wearing black armbands. He is not wearing anything on his chest as his small X shape scar can be seen in the center of his abdomen.

The man looks intimidating, he is not someone that should be underestimated under any circumstances, especially at his age. He is also a very wicked man; not caring about anyone but himself. He has had a long history ruining lives left and right in the search for unlimited power. He's even selfish enough to ruin the lives of his own family to fulfill his own needs. His own actions has caused his son to go against him, as well as his grandson, his illegitimate son, and even his own father at one point. The family bloodline is one big curse, with the whole family fighting one another for their own personal agenda. But this man doesn't care for the consequences of his actions. He will stop at nothing to reach his goal: to achieve even greater power than he has now.

The old man meditates quietly in the center of his arena as the man in the suit approaches him from afar and bows.

"Mishima-sama. One of our spies have recorded a conversation between your son and one of his employees." The man in the suit said, "It was the matter of how he plans to deal with Mishima Zaibatsu. He mentions you as well."

The old man gestures his head, signalling his underling to approach as the man comes closer. He puts the USB drive on a device, and plays the recorded message. The old man listens to every word, not showing any reaction as the seconds went by. As soon as the recording was over, the old man then lets out a grin.

"Heh! I have lost weight in my fists, have I?" The old man scoffs as he gets up. He then takes a slow breath before opening his eyes, "Hurrah!" The old man throws his fist to the side, destroying the device the underling was holding into tiny pieces. The underling was set a back as blue electricity coursed along the old man's arm for a few seconds. The old man brings his arm back, and gazes at his fist for a second as he then takes a few steps forward, "Tell my agents on the field to focus on the G Corporation, especially on my son. If he makes any move, let alone taking a piss, then I want it reported immediately. Get to it!"

"Y-Yes sir!" The underling regains his composure as he then bows to his boss before leaving him be.

The old man crosses his arms as he looks up at the sky, "Soon, boy... soon you and everyone else who oppose me will learn to never underestimate the power of the King of the Iron Fist! Heh heh! Heh ha ha ha ha!" The man bursts into laughter, having no fear of the trials he has set to himself, as he has always done his whole life - Heihachi Mishima.

Heihachi continues to laugh as the monitor of the device he destroyed is showing the time seconds before it goes blank for good.

**^ O X []**

_RING-A-DING-GOOD MORNING! RING-A-DING-GOOD MORNING!_

An alarm clock in shape of a cartoony DJ playing on a colorful DJ player goes off, playing a loud catchy tune in the process. The tune can be heard throughout the entire room it is in, but that's not saying much considering it isn't that big to begin with.

This is a small room with blue wallpaper and a green carpet floor. There are some posters of musical bands and the sort on the wall, as well as a green and blue dartboard with darts sticking into it, with the darts having a bone-shaped figure at their ends. There is also a big untidy closet, with most of the clothes lying on the ground here and there, as well of all sorts of other things around the room such as CDs, lyric sheets with doodles on them, and a skateboard lying up against the wall, as well as a rectangular mirror next to the door on the right, and a desk with books, a lamp, and a picture of someone. Next to a window at the far end of the room lies a bed with a foot-board in shape of a bone, and a headboard that has two big bones standing vertically on the sides. There appears to be somebody sleeping on the bed, covered head to toe with their red bed sheet.

"Mmmmmm...!" The person wakes up upon hearing the tune as they try to block out the sound by covering their ears with the sides of their blue pillow. The person then sighs agitatedly as they throw their bed sheets to the side. "Okay! Okay! I'm awake already!" The person rolls over to the side of the bed and bonks the head of their DJ clock, hitting the snooze button as the alarm then stops. "(Yawns)... Finally."

The person sits up, whom turns out to be a boy, an anthropomorphic puppy to be exact. He is around 3 feet/1 meter tall, has light-yellow fur, a small round black nose, big oval eyes, and droopy black ears. He is wearing a pink and white striped pajamas, as well as a beanie of the same color and pattern. Though young at heart, this boy has done many things to help himself and others. Whatever situation he gets in, he always pulls through just by believing in himself.

The boy rubs his eyes as he gets up on his bed and opens the blinds of his window. The sun light comes in, causing the boy to look away from the glare for a second as he then opens the window and peers outside.

"Ahhh! Nothing like a good scenery to start out the day!" The boy said happily, believing that this is gonna a great day like every other - Parappa.

From the second floor of his house, up on a hillside, Parappa gazes at the scenery before him. From afar lies the city of Parappa Town, filled with many buildings that might seem weird and out of place. There is a book store with the roof in shape of a open book, next to a game store with a big controller sign on top of it. There is also a cake store that is in shape of a pink cake with three layers, with the layers being smaller the higher they are. Across the street, there is a green house with the front center having a big round window and the front sides of the roof having long oval shapes, making it look like a green cyclops rabbit of some sort. There is also a pink house that looks like a face of a cartoony bear; a doughnut shop with a smiley face doughnut on a pole on top of the store; a restaurant with a yellow and green striped roof, with a design of a big burger and a head of a happy human child on top; and all other kinds of buildings designs you can possibly imagine.

On the streets, people can be seen walking around that can look just as different as the buildings themselves. You can see a man with a trumpet head with a pair of cartoony eyes and a mouth walking on the side walk and two kids with onion heads wearing karate suits walking past him. There are a few humans hanging around here and there, having different kinds of hair and clothing, and an anthropomorphic rhino drinking a soda while waiting for the bus. A car drives past the rhino, with a anthropomorphic moose woman on the passengers' seat instructing a young cactus head boy how to drive. The car drives by a flea market, with a skinny frog man selling all kinds of unique things in a calm and happy manner. In another part of town, you can see a few people watching a cooking show on a TV behind the window of a store, seeing a chicken woman explaining how to bake a cake. It's a very strange, but amazing community in this strange, but amazing city of Parappa Town.

Parappa sighs happily as he leans his elbows on his windowsill, "I can never get tired of waking up and looking at my favorite town in the world." Parappa then closes the window as he then turns to his desk drawer and walks across his bed towards it. He sits down and picks up a picture frame, with a picture of Parappa in the center and his friends and family around him. Parappa looks at one friend in particular, a girl to be exact. Parappa smiles as he places his thumb on the girl's cheek, "Oh Sunny... I can't wait to see you again today." Parappa lets out a long happy sigh as he puts the picture back on the drawer. "Hmm?" Parappa then notices his clock, and is surprised, "Oh no! It's this late already!? I gotta change!"

Parappa frantically gets out of bed, nearly tripping over his clothes as he rushes into his closet. "Come on! Come on! I don't want to be late!" Parappa panics as he takes his pajamas off and throws them into the middle of his room one by one, as well as other clothes in his closet he didn't want to wear. After a few seconds of making a mess, Parappa jumps out of the closet, wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt, baggy blue pants, red sneakers with white wiggly lines on the side, and his signature red orange beanie with a logo of a happy green frog with a yellow circle around it. Parappa rushes over to his mirror to see how he is dressed.

"Um-um-um! What else do I need!?" Parappa asked himself nervously. He then notices his skateboard as he then takes it and holds under his armpit. "Okay, what else? What else!?" Parappa taps on his forehead until his eyes are then shot open, "Oh yeah, that! I think it's in the garage!" Parappa then runs out of his room as he slams the door behind him. Parappa proceeds to run across the hallway to the staircase ahead. He runs down the stairs to the first floor as he runs around and enters the living room, which has a green carpet floor, pink and white striped walls, a bookcase, a fireplace, a painting of Parappa's grandmother on the wall, a desk full of junk, and two chairs in front of a coffee table in front of the TV in the corner of the room.

Parappa rushes over to the desk as he picks up a purple book and opens it to reveal a big red button. Parappa pushes the button as the bookcase near the desk slides to the side, revealing a secret passageway which Parappa then goes in. Parappa runs deep into the cave, entering a big empty area with round lights on the walls, and jumps down a huge slide in the area that spirals downward into a deeper location. "Whoooaaaa!" Parappa shouted as he goes down the slide, hoping to reach his destination as fast as he can.

Meanwhile, in an ordinary storage room filled with antiques, cardboard boxes and the like, laughter can be heard.

"Ah ha ha ha ha! Stop that! That tickles!" Said a voice, which turns out to be a talking, blue and orange boom-box, with little arms and legs, and a pair of big eyes and a mouth. He is lying on a table with a lit lamp on the side, laughing uncontrollably as a anthropomorphic dog wearing a white shirt and tie, a pair of blue jeans, brown shoes, and a small brown fedora. He looks similar to Parappa, which is not surprising since he is father - Papa Parappa.

"Now just hold still, Boxxy Boy. I still need to make a few more adjustments to your speakers before applying the new system I've created." Papa Parappa said while trying to unscrew a few screws from the talking boom box - Boxxy Boy. Boxxy Boy continues to laugh as Parappa then take out something from the box next to him. "Parappa is going to be so happy once you show him what you can do after I'm done upgrading you."

"Ha ha! I sure hope so!" Boxxy Boy laughed as he squirms, "I'm already happy enough as it is!"

"All right, now. Just stand still a little while longer. I'm almost done." Papa Parappa said as he begins his finishing touches on Boxxy Boy.

CRASH!

"Huh!?" A loud crash is heard as Papa Parappa turns around to see his son lying dazedly on a pile of crushed boxes after falling off the end of the slide in a square opening at the back wall. "Parappa! Are you okay!?"

"Ooooh... Wha!" Parappa instantly recovers as he jumps back on his feet. Parappa then runs into different parts of the storage room, throwing stuff out of boxes in the process. "Where did I left it!? It has to be in here somewhere!"

Papa Parappa watches on as then approaches his son, "Um, Parappa? What are you doing?"

"Can't talk now, Pop! I've gotta run!" Parappa said, throwing a box full of stuff behind him, nearly hitting his dad, who got startled in the process. Parappa then thinks to himself while tapping his foot. He then snaps his fingers, "Now I remember! It's up here!" Parappa jumps on a stack of boxes as he gets in front of a shelf on a wall filled with things, one of those things being what Parappa is looking for. Parappa takes a box labelled 'DO NOT TOUCH' on the front as he then jumps back on the ground and proceeds to run up the slide that got him into the storage room.

"Parappa, you can just use the ele - Oh, he's gone..." Papa Parappa said flustered as he then leaves the storage room as well.

After a few minutes, Parappa exhaustedly comes out of the secret entrance, but quickly shakes off his fatigue as he then runs to the hallway. Papa Parappa then comes out of a secret entrance behind the fireplace as he tries to catch up to his son. "Parappa, wait a second!"

"Catch ya later, Pop!" Parappa exclaimed as he goes out the door, with his father stopping near the kitchen.

"You haven't even eaten your breakfast!"

Parappa stops as he then runs back into his house, puts his skateboard and box on the floor, and runs past his dad, hurrying into the kitchen. Papa Parappa watches his son with a confused look, watching him wash his hands, and then sits down in front of the kitchen table to eat his bacon and eggs, which Parappa practically swallows down in mere seconds. Parappa face then turns red as he begins to choke, causing him to beat his chest and then drink his glass of milk to bring the food down. Parappa sighs in relief, satisfied with his food as he then gets out of his chair.

"Thanks for the food, Pop! I'll clean the dishes later!"

"B-B-But-!" Papa Parappa watches his son zoom past him, picking up his things before leaving. Parappa runs to the side walk as he drops his skateboard and proceeds to ride it while his father comes out of the house, "What's going on, Parappa!? What's the big hurry!?"

"Today is the daaaayyy!" Parappa exclaimed happily as he rides away on his skateboard, leaving his dad confused even more.

"Today is the day? What's so important about-Oh!?" Papa Parappa smacks his forehead upon realization, "Today is THAT day! I almost forgot about it! I better get ready too!" Parappa frantically goes back inside and slams the front door.

Parappa rides down along the side walk with great speed, jumping over fire hydrants and steering around a few people as he then enters the forest. He ducks under a few branches in the way, as well as acrobatically jumping over branches that were too low for him to duck under. People driving their cars in the same direction watch Parappa go past them with surprised looks as Parappa then gets out of the forest and into Parappa Town. Parappa crouches, giving his skateboard more momentum as he goes around a few people with even greater speed than before. He eventually ends up going down a steep slope, going faster and faster than ever before. But Parappa doesn't care; he is just too happy at what he plans to do today.

"This is going to be the best day of my life! I just know it!" Parappa thought happily with his eyes closed. He then opened his eyes with joy, "Yeah! I know! I gotta believe!"

Parappa then reaches the end of the slope as he goes on an uphill that is covered with brown leaves. Parappa flies off from the peak of the side walk, scattering the leaves up in the air in the process. "Yeahhh!" Parappa exclaimed as he then lands perfectly on the side walk and rolls away on his skateboard, with the leaves he scattered in the air being taken away by the wind.

**^ O X []**

Several leaves fly across the sky, being carried away by a strong gust in this quiet night of this quiet land of Gallowmere. Gallowmere is a kingdom located on a island somewhere in the Hebrides, inhabited by creatures of both myth and mystical, and with a history that one must put their doubts aside to believe.

The island has several mountains on its edges, mostly on the north-western side; castles of different shape and sizes on the far east, with a huge pumpkin patch south from there; a scarecrow field around the bottom center and a huge lake in the upper center; a mausoleum in the west, with an enchanted forest next to it; the gallows in the far north, and next to it lies the haunted ruins. Bless the souls who dare step foot in these territories, for only the brave and the strong can survive their ordeals.

The leaves from before continue to fly across this Gothic environment as the wind blows them down near the grounds of Gallows town, a small town south of the mausoleum. The buildings are of the medieval era; with pubs, blacksmiths, and wooden houses standing side by side, with the road made of solid stone. The citizens of this town sleep peacefully within their homes and workshops, as the leaves gracefully fly past their windows, doing loops and other stunts while avoiding a drinking well and wooden shop signs. The leaves then fly out of town, heading far south of the island. Many of the leaves pass through the spacing of an iron gate, while one of them hits a bar and falls down to the ground, lying just in front of the entrance to the cemetery.

The remaining leaves fly past the gravestones of those passed on, as the wind blows stronger for a quick second, blowing one of the leaves high up in the air. The leaf gently lands on top of a big hill, where there lies a crypt; the resting place of not just any deceased. No, he was not of royalty or anything of the sort, but was a hero whose name alone has made the people of Gallowmere feel safe and protected. Legend has it that the man fought valiantly in a war against a demonic army of an evil wizard and died after giving the villain the final blow. However, in reality, the hero was the first to die on the very first day the war began, taking an arrow to his left eye. King Peregrin, the king at the time, lied to people of the hero's actions to forever hide the shame. 100 years have passed and the wizard returned, resurrecting the dead to wreak havoc on Gallowmere once more, but upon doing so, revived that fallen 'hero', thus causing a chain of events that eventually led that hero to slay the evil wizard for real, living up to the greatness that the legend has been passed on for generations.

Inside the crypt lies a few long, stone pathways, with a few lit torches on the walls. The paths lead downward, with a few streams of sewer water, broken down columns, and a few stone gargoyle heads on the walls along the way. Finally, down at the last area of the crypt, lies the corpse of the unlikely hero who saved Gallowmere; laying rest on a pedestal in the center of the room, basking in the moonlight from the round, decorative window shining over the center of his body. Despite having light, it is still too dark to see the whole corpse of the hero, but while he may be resting here, his spirit lies elsewhere.

Up high in the clouds above Gallowmere lies a haven for heroes; a place where heroes come and enjoy themselves after a livelihood of bravery and heroics: the Hall of Heroes. It is an old building on top of the clouds, where endless feasts, drinking, arm-wrestling, and many other things people do at never-ending parties. The Hall of Heroes is the perfect place to go, taking a break from their 'eternal slumber'.

The Hall of Heroes' structure is somewhat of a long hall with round corners and corridors with a rooftop on the outside. There is a small tower on one end, and a smaller, more round hallway at the other. Inside the hall is a vast area with statues of every hero here placed side by side up against the walls, both on the first floor and on the corridors on the second floor. The hall is mostly made out of stone, with columns supporting the corridors of the second floor, which can be accessed via the stairways at the back end of the hall. And just as any other day in this hall, there are many of the heroes celebrating just for the heck of it. Heroes of different eras rejoice in their festivities, with many telling their heroic tales over and over again, but no one ever grows weary of it, for they have nothing else to do but to have a good time.

"Pull!"

An apple shoots up towards the center of the hall. Up in the staircase in the front end of the hall lies Canny Tim - a crossbowman from the Hero of Gallowmere's time that killed the evil wizard's champion by shooting an arrow at him from 1000 yards/914.40 meters away - shoots the apple through its core as the arrow then hits the wall up on the railings on the second floor.

Canny Tim raises his arm happily, "Ha ha! I still got it!"

The other heroes in the hall cheered for Tim as another hero pulls the arrow out of the wall, and takes the apple that was pierced through. Stanyer Iron Hewer, a big man with a big war hammer, was a blacksmith during his time. When he wasn't making weapons at home, he was pounding heads of his enemies in the battlefield. His skills as a blacksmith is truly legendary. "Ha ha! No one has ever thought that you've lost it to begin with, chap!" Stanyer said as he then takes a bite out of the apple.

In the center of the hall, where a huge wooden dining table resides, you can see the bloodthirsty hero, Bloodmonath Skull Cleaver, sharpening his axe with a file. Bloodmonath once gathered an army of horsemen and swept half of the civilized world, and died being the richest peasant of his day. The bitter warrior tosses his file aside and scoffs at everyone, "You bunch of numbskulls! Weapons are not for drawing the juices of fruits, but of the blood of your enemies!"

"Oh, pipe down, Bloodmonath! Nobody takes you seriously when you pout like that. You should have known that decades ago." Another hero replied nearby Bloodmonath, who is a tall man, gracefully taking a drink from his chalice. This fearless warrior goes by the name of Woden the Mighty, who has never been defeated in combat and inspired raw fear in his friends and enemies alike, as well as family members and pets.

Bloodmonath ignores Woden as he continues to work on his axe, while Woden watches an arm wrestling competition between two fellow heroes: Karl Stunguard and Dirk Steadfast. Two men clad in armor and garments, Karl in blue and Dirk in red, these two are very much different from each other, but they are the best of friends. With the motto "The best offense is the best defense", Karl Stunguard spent most of his years under siege at his family castle, always holding his foes back with his magic shield. Dirk Steadfast was a fearsome opponent in his lifetime; fending foes with his magic sword and has a firm believe that only real men are always on the offence.

"Grr! Just lose already, Karl!" Dirk grunted, applying more force to Karl's arm, "You and 'ur girly tactics are no match for the strength of a man like me'h!"

"Nein!" Karl replied, doing his best to push back, "While you are vasting energy on the first go, I vill use all the strength I've been saving for the last moment to crush you!"

As the two continue their struggle, up on the second floor to the right you can see two other heroes: an Archer Centaur - RavenHooves the Archer - a proud and haughty aristocrat who was the last prince of his people and a remarked archer of his time; and the Warrior Queen - Imanzi Shongama - a warrior trained in all forms of combat and the ruler of a tribe of Amazons that banished all males from talking with each other. Ravenhooves takes a sip from his chalice as he looks at Imanzi.

"So, have you thought about it yet?" Ravenhooves asked Imanzi with a big grin on his face.

Imanzi scoffs at him before looking the other way, "There is only one man for me, and it is certainly not the one with an ego bigger than his ass."

Ravenhooves laughs at that remark wholeheartedly, "Haaaa ha ha! That's even funnier the last time you said that to me ten years ago today!"

Imanzi sighs in annoyance while Ravenhooves continues to laugh, as another heroine on the balcony at the end of the room walks over in front of the handrail.

Megwynne Stormbinder, a woman that is not only as beautiful and kind-hearted as she appears, but also the 2nd best hero this hall has had as of yet. In her lifetime, Megwynne had to defend her settlement from barbarian raiders while the local menfolk were away on a hunting trip. Megwynne fought off armies with a mere pitchfork and rolling pin, and while also attending to her baby with one arm. The Gods were so impressed of Megywnne's courage that they granted her the power to cast lightning bolts, which helped her win the battle before her husband came home.

Megwynne places her hands over the handrails as she smiles at the scenery of fellow companions getting along, "No matter how many thousands of years go by, or how different we may be from one another, I can get never get tired of being company with everyone here." Megwynne said with a soft smile. She then gazes over the arm competition going on the dining table, seeing Karl ending beating Dirk.

"What!? How did that happen!?" Dirk stood furiously with his hands on his head in disbelief as Karl crosses his arms and laughs.

"Vhaa ha ha ha! I told you already," Karl exclaimed with pride, "you always go all-out vrom zee start! I just vait it out until you get tired to unleash my killing blow!"

"Grr..." Dirk clenches his fist in anger, "Okay, Mister girly laugh! Two out of three! Let's go!" Dirk raises his arm and slams his elbow on the table, ready to arm wrestle Karl again, but hits the table so hard he knocks a pile of coins to the side. Karl and Dirk begin to argue as the coins scatter throughout the table, some of them souring through the air, landing in Woden's chalice and splashing the drink all over Woden's face. Woden blinks in confusion as the noise in general made Bloodmonath just reach his breaking point.

"THAT'S IT! PREPARE TO DIE!" Bloodmonath lunges towards Karl and Dirk, who fight back as they create a dust cloud around them. While they fight, Woden looks at his chalice, sad that he couldn't finish his drink, not noticing a few coins rolling past him. The coins roll across the table until they stop near the edge, where somebody sitting there then picks one of the coins up with their bony fingers.

It appears to be a man, or... what remains of him as he is nothing but bones; an undead skeleton, to be exact. He is a tall skeleton around 7 ft/2.13 m tall, wearing a suit of grey armor with bronze linings, covering most of his body minus the bottom half of his ribcage; red puffy sleeves with thin, vertical, yellow stripes reaching down to his elbows; and is wearing a pair of brown gloves. The man can be seen missing his left eye and jaw, having only his big right eye to look at his reflection from the coin he's looking at.

He is the newest entrant of the hall of heroes, but he is definitely not the least. He is the hero of heroes; the bringer of peace; the champion of all warriors! He is none other than the Hero of Gallowmere himself. He is... looking at the coin with the saddest look on his face as he then lets out an enormous sigh that can be heard throughout the whole hall. The bony man then tosses the coin away in disgust, which goes into Woden's full cup, with the liquid splashing into Woden's faces just before he takes a sip, making Woden blink in confusion in the process.

The bony knight then takes a sip of his chalice, with the liquid going inside the neck hole of his armor before resting his skull over his right hand, proving that even the greatest of heroes are not ashamed to feel a little down in front of others, even though they tend to be that way more often than necessary - Sir Daniel Fortesque.

"Hmmmmmmmmm..." Sir Daniel sighs again, which is distracting enough to capture the attention of his fellow companions in the hall. Dirk, Karl, and Bloodmonath stopped brawling, gripping each other's necks and such, to see Sir Daniel then pouring his drink on top of his skull with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Oi. What be going on in Dan's head?" Dirk asked.

"Forget about that loser." Bloodmonath said with contempt as he gets off the table and back to his workplace, "He is still crying about that stupid thing."

"Still?" Karl asked surprisingly, "He looked vine just a moment ago."

"Let him be." Woden said as he rests his chin on both hands, seemingly annoyed, "If we couldn't cheer him up then, then he needs to do so himself... even if it means that I have to remain athirst for the rest of the day..."

The rest of the heroes around the hall expressed their concern over their friend with sad looks as Sir Daniel, after finishing bathing himself with his drink, picks up a whole bottle of liquor and starts drinking it down. After drinking 1/10 of the bottle, Sir Daniel hiccups and slumps forward, hitting the table face-first with a loud thump.

"Gnnnnnnnnnnnngh..." Sir Daniel sighs once more, face-planted on the table, as he drops the bottle near the edge of the table, causing it to pour out on the ground.

**^ O X []**

Water is dripping out of a roof drainage pipe of one of the warehouses in a warehouse facility near an ocean port. It has rained in Chicago all day, and little work was accomplished. It's a little past midnight, and the facility is empty and quiet, having nothing but fog covering the premises.

A security guard in a booth in front of the front gate of the facility is relaxing on his chair with hands on the back of his head and his feet on his table, watching the news on TV.

"In the latest update in the War on Terror, President Hamilton and Pakistani President Farooq Salam have come to terms on how their military operation will be handled in Pakistan." A news reporter from the television said, "Marine soldiers are allowed in and out of the country whenever necessary, and are permitted to investigate suspicious activity within areas of the country with the consent from both presidents. Earlier this week, President Hamilton said that he will be bringing more troops to Pakistan to help with Operation Ring: an operation that troops must oblige by checking the contents and backgrounds of every Pakistani and non-Pakistani citizen whenever they enter and leave the country, a province, a city block, and so on."

Back outside, a limousine can be seen driving along the street towards the warehouse facility. It is dark inside the vehicle, and the people in it are silent as they approach their destination.

"This operation has met heavy criticism from around the world," The news reporter continues, "saying that this is just a way to control people within their reach rather than preventing a terrorist attack inside the country as President Hamilton has explained. Whether this operation would be beneficial or not for Pakistani citizens remains to be seen. Up next on CNN Live, the search continues as the whereabouts of the Colorado Se-"

The guard mutes the TV as soon as he notices the headlights from the limousine approaching. He gets up from his chair, and slides his booth window open as the limo stops next to the booth. The driver of the limo lowers his window, but the darkness inside the vehicle makes it hard for the security guard to see his face.

"Hey, buddy, are you lost?" The guard asked with a smile, "The 5-star hotel is inside the city, not out here near the shore. Unless you're looking to party with dead fish and dirt. Ha ha!"

The driver turns his head towards the guard, and takes out something that immediately startles him. It is a card, which the guard recognizes as his smile is then turns into a frown. The guard peers his head out his window, and looks at his security camera, which zooms in the card the driver is holding. The booth's phone then rings as the guard stares at the driver for a few seconds before looking away and answering the call. The guard remains silent, listening to every word the caller says to him.

"... Okay." The guard replies as he hangs up the phone. He then turns towards the driver with a serious look on his face, "You check out. Go to warehouse MR-6; it's on the far end on the right corner of the facility. It's the only lit warehouse, so you can't miss it."

The driver then closes his window as the guard then pushes the button to open the gate to the facility. The limo slowly drives inside, with the guard then closing the gate afterwards. The guard then relaxes back on his chair and unmutes his TV, completely unaware that he is being watched.

Using thermal vision from there HUD point-of-view, a mysterious individual saw everything that happened just now, and is now observing the limousine going deeper into the facility, watching it take a right to reach its destination. The mysterious person looks ahead to where the limo is going, seeing the warehouse that still has it's lights on and is labelled 'MR-6' over the doorway. Seconds later, a few men in raincoats holding AK-47s come out one by one, turning towards the limousine approaching.

"Bingo." The mysterious person said with a grin, closing their holographic HUD screen as they appear to be standing on one knee on a house in a neighborhood far off from the facility. They then grab there rectangular briefcase and jumps off the house, landing effortlessly on the ground as they run along the muddy path to the facility.

Back in the facility, the limousine drives and stops towards the front of the warehouse, where the men in raincoats await. Three men stand side-by-side in front the driver's doorway, while the other two stand on the other side of vehicle. The driver opens his door, and steps out, revealing his robotic leg. The men of the Warehouse remain composed as the driver comes out, revealing to be a cyborg. His body is covered head to toe with metal plates and cybernetic technology, mostly in black and red colors, and also has a black face-guard covering his whole face. As the cyborg closes his door, another cyborg, similar looking to the driver, comes out from the other side of the limo, as well as another cyborg on the back seat. The driver then opens the back door on his side, letting another cyborg come out, and then steps aside to let his boss come out.

The boss of these cyborgs is a short man, bald from the top and has gray hair on the sides. He a little fuzz on his chin and upper lip, and is wearing a black leather suit with a blue tie, and is holding a silver briefcase. The boss approaches the men in the raincoats with a sleazy grin.

"Good evening, gentlemen." The man said, "I hope you're all here to escort to your manager." The men in raincoats then stare at the cyborgs, noticing their sheathed katanas; machine guns, and RPGs attached to their persona. "Oh, don't worry about them; they're just here to assure nothing goes wrong during our business transaction. I hope this won't be an issue..."

"No... por aqui." One of the men replied as he then walks towards the entrance. He opens the door for the visitors, who walk in one by one with the boss in the middle. As soon as they entered, the man gestures at the two man outside, who nod as the man then goes back inside. The door closes as the two then patrol around the front of the warehouse, not noticing a blur going past the rooftop of the warehouse in front of them.

Inside Warehouse MR-6, there are dozens of people working in front of conveyor belts, working on different tasks involving a white powder substance. The remaining people are patrolling the area with guns in hand, intimidating the workers with their presence as they walked by.

The boss, along with his cyborg bodyguards, smiles at the work environment before him as the men in the raincoat walk ahead of them. "Siganos." One of the men say. The man in the briefcase smirks as he and his guards follow them. They walk near the walls of the warehouse, and walk up the stairs in the bottom left corner. They walk along the rails on the left side of the warehouse, seeing a crate being carried away with the crane from the ceiling as they eventually reach the main office guarded by two men with AKs. "Por aqui, senor." One of the men says as the man with the briefcase smirks with anticipation.

Back outside, one of the two men in the raincoats turns on his flash light as he heads off around the corner of the warehouse. "Paco! Donde estas?" The man shouted, looking for the other man that was with him. The rain was making it harder for the man to find Paco as he hurries under a light on the back corner of the warehouse. He curses in Spanish as he takes out a cigarette to calm down. As the man starts lighting it, he notices a stream of blood coming from around the back corner. "Que demonios...!?" The man scurries around the corner, and gasps at the corpse of his former comrade lying on the ground, with his raincoat nearly covered in blood. "P-Paco? ... Gah!?" The man turns around, and before he could even scream, a blur lunges forward, lowering there blade onto the horrified man.

SLASH!

Back inside the warehouse, the men open door to the main office as the boss and his bodyguards walk inside. The office has a rug in center of the floor; a window on the right wall; and a skylight. There are a few paintings on the walls, as well as a small bar at the end of the room. In the room lies the owner of the warehouse; a big man with a thick mustache, wearing sunglasses and a white vest with yellow sleeves; black pants; and brown shoes. He is sitting in his big, black, swivel chair, behind his big desk.

"Ah! Welcome, Mr. Steiner," The owner said as he gets up with open arms, "I've been expecting you."

"Don Alberto. It's good to finally meet you." Steiner said as he walks up to Don Alberto, and shake hands with him. Steiner then sat down in front of Alberto's desk, as Alberto also sat down on his chair, putting both elbows on his desk

"So, my friend... let's see what all the fuss about."

Outside the warehouse, the mysterious person from before drags the corpse behind a stack of crates. The individual peers around the crates, making sure there is no one else in the area. They then come out, and looked up towards the warehouse for a brief moment before hurrying around it.

Back inside the Main Office again, Steiner places his briefcase on top of Alberto's desk. He opens the locks, and opens the case as he turns to let Alberto and his men see what he has. Inside the case is a big cylinder casing with a few needles next to it.

"Nanomachines, Don Alberto," Steiner said with glee, "One of the latest in modern technology to-date. With these nanomachines, you will be a living superman. No more diseases; no more disabilities; you can even be strong enough to face one of my subordinates here." Steiner's cyborgs remain silent, as well as Alberto, who has remained stoic so far, "It may seem unbelievable now, but I guarantee that once you inject yourself with these nanomachines, you will become as powerful as your drug business itself."

"Ha ha ha! Me gusto como sono eso! I like that, Mr. Steiner." Alberto said with a big grin as then walks up to his window to see his workers making his product, "If what you say is true - and I'm sure it is considering your relations with these cyborg friends of yours - then let me say that, by the end of this night, Mr. Steiner, you are going to be one of the most powerful men to be working alongside me."

Mr. Steiner smiles, "Then I suppose we have a de-"

But before Steiner could finish his sentence, the power goes off at the warehouse. The conveyor belts stop moving and the lights go out, startling the workers and the guards. Mr. Steiner is also startled by this as his cyborg bodyguards hurry to his side. Don Alberto then gestures at his men, "Checa que pasa afuera! Mantenga sus ojos abiertos en caso de intrusos!" Three of Alberto's men rush out the office, leaving only two in protecting Alberto as Steiner is getting worried.

"What is going on?"

"It might be a power outage, but I have my men searching the area for intruders just in case.."

"You don't think it's him, right?" One of the Cyborg men asked nervously.

"No! There is no way he tracked us here!" Another cyborg replied furiously.

Steiner looks at his guards with a dumbfounded look, "Wha... What are you people talking about!?"

"AAHHH!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A scream can be heard from outside the office as another scream is heard shortly after, along with the sound of gun fire. "What the!?" Don Alberto hurries to his desk and grabs his gun from his shelf. He goes for cover near the window, peeking over the side to try and see what is going on. In the darkness of the Warehouse, Alberto can see flashes of the weapons his men are firing, and he is seeing less and less of them the seconds go by. He could also see sparks around a figure, seemingly cutting every bullet that headed their way. "Que diablos es eso?" Alberto watches in horror, hearing even more screams, barely seeing the figure cutting down his own men thanks to the light from the sparks. The workers in the warehouse then flee out the front door. Some of Alberto's men notice and try to stop them, but they end up getting cut from behind for their efforts. With a malicious grin, the figure then turns his head and looks up towards Alberto with his red, glowing eye, causing Alberto to hide in fear.

Alberto began to shiver as he then looks at Steiner, who was also shaking in his chair, taking note of every single sound he heard just now. Alberto bares his teeth in anger as he gets up and aims his gun at Steiner, causing the cyborgs to aim at him, and Alberto's men to aim at them back.

"Wha-What are you doing!?" Steiner exclaimed nervously.

"It's you! You brought that thing here, didn't you!" Alberto replied furiously.

"What!? No! Nobody was following me here, I swear! I didn't even know such a monster existed!"

"Curse you... wait a minute. Why has it gone quiet?"

Everyone in the room turn their heads, as all the screaming and gun fire has finally stopped. The cyborgs knew what is coming next; they immediately aimed their weapons at the skylight, anticipating the figure will burst through there. "I don't care what that thing is; nobody is getting in here without getting their body filled with lead!" Alberto exclaimed, not noticing Steiner nervously reaching for something inside his suit. Alberto looks through the window again, squinting his eyes to get a better look, "I don't see anything..." Alberto turns his head at his men, "Keep yours eyes open! One second can cost us our lives!" As Alberto looks out the window again, his eyes widen in horror as he sees the figure riding the warehouse's crane right towards him.

The figure lunges through the window, with the sheer force knocking Alberto off his feet and catching everyone in the room by surprise. Steiner was surprised the most, but is prepared as he quickly grabs his briefcase as the glass from the window scatters everywhere, with the figure slashing Alberto across his chest, killing him as his corpse falls on the table. Alberto's men begin to fire, but the figure swiftly gets in front of the table, and cuts it and Alberto into big pieces, knocking them in mid-air to block the bullets as the figure then dashes through the pieces and performs a spinning slash, cutting the men, the bar, and everything in the way in two, scattering the debris and glass all over half the office.

"AAAAAHHH!" Steiner cried as he takes out a grenade and throws it at the figure, who looks over his shoulder as his eyes widen upon seeing the explosive.

BOOM!

A portion of the Main Office explodes as Steiner retreats from the room with three of his bodyguards leading him to safety, while one stays behind to insure the 'monster' is dead. Steiner and his men reach the main floor, and look towards the office to see if they are being followed. The guard back on the rail aims at the fire from the explosion while walking backwards. "I know you're not dead! Come out and face me!" The cyborg cried. Then, in a split-second, the figure comes running out of the flames, revealing his attire burnt from the explosion. "GAAAHHH!" The cyborg fires rapidly at the figure, who doesn't slow down as he swings his blade in front of him with one hand, slicing away the incoming bullets while creating some sparks in the process. The figure then swoops in beneath the cyborg's POV, and before the cyborg could react, the figure cuts him several times, then gets behind him and plunges his claw-like hand into the cyborg's back and pulls out his cybernetic spinal cord. The figure gazes at the cord before crushing with it his hand as the cyborg's body then bursts into bloody pieces.

"Aaaahhh! H-He is a monster!" Steiner cried in fear, "Gua?!" His bodyguards then grab Steiner and escape the warehouse while the figure smirks seeing them flee. Steiner and his bodyguards rush into the limousine, with two of the cyborgs getting their weapons ready as Steiner sits between them, "Get me out of here!"

"Tsk!" The other cyborg gets behind the driving wheel, and immediately starts the limousine, and drives away at fast as it could. As the limo takes some rough turns, one of the cyborgs on the back seat opens his window, and peers his upper half out, aiming his machine gun towards the trail behind the vehicle. Seconds pass by as Steiner is shivering in immense fear, hugging his briefcase for dear life.

Steiner then looks ahead, seeing the front gate closed, "Don't stop! Go right through!" The driver slams his foot in the gas pedal as the limo goes at full speed towards the front gate. The security guard, seeing the limo coming, hides in his booth as the limo rams the gate open with great force, loosening the hinges on one side of the gate as that part falls hard on the ground.

"Hey!" The guard comes out of the booth, screaming at the limo as it drives off.

Steiner nervously looks over his shoulder, looking through the rear window as he can see the facility getting farther and farther away, with no sign of the figure following them. "I think we got away..." Steiner mutters as the cyborgs can't see him either. The limo enters into the neighborhood as the driver slows down a little to avoid losing control of his steering. Steiner then gets back on his seat, sighing in relief, "Yes... we got away."

"Just barely. We need to start doing business elsewhere." The driver said looking at Steiner over his shoulder. The driver then looks forward as the figure then comes flying in from above, and lands on top of the limo's hood with a thump, denting it in the process. "WHAT THE FU-!?" The driver gasps as he frantically loses control of the limo. The figure then does a back flip as the limo strays off the road and crashes into a light post. "Gah!" Steiner and his guards stumble forward in a rough manner as the steering wheel releases the emergency cushion upon impact as the driver hits it face first. The figure lands several feet away from the limo, getting under the light from the light post as the figure raises his head and stares at the target before him. Steiner is knocked out as one of the cyborgs in the back opens the ceiling light window, and comes out halfway, lowering his RPG he has attached to the back of his shoulder. The cyborg then fires a missile at the figure, who effortlessly cuts it in half, cutting a fire hydrant in the process as the two halves of the missile fly past the figure and explode on the road and side walk behind him.

The hydrant releases a heavy stream of water into the air as the cyborgs then come out of the limo and confront the figure standing side by side. The figure stands upright, noticing his attire, which turns out to be a burnt suit. "Another suit in shambles." The figure said with a gruff voice as he smirks, "You guys just can't stand to have me look decent, can you? That's fine... as long as I get rid of scum like you, then I'm willing to lose every suit I buy."

The figure then rips the remains of his suit, revealing his true appearance. He is man around his 30s, standing around 6'0" ft/1.82 m tall as he is also a cyborg, but with differing features. His exoskeleton consists of grey metal plates, gold-colored shoulders, and modern carbon nanotube muscle fibers, making his body appear more human than robotic. He wears weapon holsters around his waist and right leg, where the former holds his rectangular metal sheathe for his sword attached to his back and some other weapons in the latter. Unlike the other cyborgs, the man's face and head is visible, having ash blonde-gray hair and blue eyes; and a somewhat youthful appearance. This man enjoys cutting people up; sometime he does it to protect the weak; other times, he does it just for fun.

The cyborgs slowly ready their weapons as the man raises his sword with both hands, "Good. You're ready to dance for me." The man spreads his feet apart and bends over his right knee, positioning his blade diagonally over his face, just below his field of vision, "Well, then... let's dance." The man smirks as his eyes glow red for just an instant, about to do his favorite part in his own kind of war on terror - Raiden.

The cyborgs then dash at Raiden, who quickly fights back as the water from the cut fire hydrant continues to shoot up towards the night sky.

**^ O X []**

There is a water fountain with statues in shape of several animals, shooting small streams of water from their trunks, paws, mouths, etc., high up in the air before they go down in an arc in the base below. The sunlight glistens the fountain in a beautiful manner, the same way it has been doing every day since it was first built in everyone's favorite amusement park: Monkey Park.

Monkey Park is the most popular park in all Japan, well-known for its variety of high-quality rides and entertainment; a proven fact due to the amount of people that come in and be bewildered at the sights before them, even though they have come to the park before. There is a roller coaster ride that has cut outs of trees, bananas, monkeys, and more props alongside parts of the track to fit the parks theme. The people shout in excitement coursing along the track, passing around mechanical props of monkeys popping their heads in and out of bushes. There is also a merry-go-round ride that looks like a jungle tree, and the gallopers are in shape of monkeys holding vines, seemingly swinging across the air as children can be seen riding on them while laughing joyfully. Nearby lies a Ferris wheel, with a happy monkey face design on both centers; colorful lights along the chassis; and the carts in shape of bananas with windows on their upper halves and having different numbers on their doors.

The people on the Ferris wheel look out through their windows, gazing in awe at the park beneath them, seeing the rest of the rides they are eager to try out next. Next to the Ferris Wheel, there is a worker managing his snack bar, handing out cotton candy in shape of happy monkey heads to a few kids as the kids thank the man before running off, eating their treats in the process.

The kids ran by a family, who the parents are holding hands with their son, wearing a happy monkey face hat with a pinwheel and a monkey park t-shirt, "Mommy! Daddy! I'm having lots of fun!" The boy said happily, "Can we come here again soon?"

"Of course, son!" The father replied, "There is nothing quite like spending time with each other than being together in this amazing park!"

"Let's come back next week, Honey." The mother said with a soft smile, "I want to make this a weekly family event from now on."

"Sounds like a plan, Sweetheart!"

"Hooray!" The kid exclaimed with joy as he and his parents walk into another section of the park: The Animal Resort.

The Animal Resort is where the animals of the park live in their habitual zones, and where they rest after their performance in the circus being held in another part of the park. The public comes to look at these animals, whom for the most part, enjoy having people around giving them attention. "Hi, Mr Lion!" A little girl said as she presses her hand onto the glass display to the lion in front of her, who happily presses its head onto the glass in response. There were more animals such as giraffes being fed by kids supervised by a park worker there; elephants, with one squirting water out of its trunk playfully at the people watching, who laughed as they get soaked; dolphins happily swimming around in the aquarium part of the resort; and many more animals that bring more joy to the hearts of the public.

"Ukki-Ukki!" A creature exclaimed as it jumps around its cage with great haste.

"Wow! They are so fast!" One of the kids say as they and a group of people were standing in the center of the resort, watching the park's main attraction: the Monkeys. The monkeys have the biggest section of the resort, but are treated as equally as the other animals. There are hundreds and hundreds of monkeys wearing different colored pants inside dozens of huge, rectangular cages on both sides of the walkways in the monkey area, with the upper part of the cages having cage-like tubes connecting both sides, making it easier for the monkeys to traverse to other cages. Despite being caged up, the monkeys are always happy as they always play around, not having of any other care in the world. The people watch in awe as the monkeys are performing tricks and dances for the public. The public gives them a round of applause as one monkey takes a bite out of a banana, and cartwheels in front two kids. The monkey stops in front of them with a pose, sticking out its tongue with the piece of the banana on it. "Ha ha ha! They're very funny too!"

"Ukkiii!" The monkey bows and runs off to another part of the cage. It stops as it sees different crowd of people, mostly kids. "Ukki!" The monkey rushes over to them, joining its monkey brothers as one of is imitating a teacher, wearing an orange suit and long skirt, talking to her students.

"Pay attention now, students, as here we have the monkeys; the main mascots of this park." The teacher, Ms. Tangerine, said, "With the increase in poachers and uninhabitable environments in the wilderness, these monkeys were rescued and are catered in here in this resort. Monkey Park's mission is to protect these animals from the harshness of the outside world, while at the same time, providing them with a healthy lifestyle, giving them all the love and care they need on a daily basis."

The monkeys behind Ms. Tangerine imitated her hand movements and speech pattern, causing the kids to laugh, "Settle down, PLEASE!" Ms. Tangerine said, a little annoyed before taking a breather and continued, "Thanks to the contributions from Dr. Ozel, Monkey Park has expanded since its founding; broadening its goals by saving other animals and providing more ways in giving them the lifestyle they deserve. Plus, with the expansion of land, rides, and the amount of publicity this park has been receiving as of late, this park aims to bond humans and animals in a friendly manner, bringing peace to species alike, and making this park the friendliest family attraction the world has ever seen. A good example would be these monkeys here, for you see, they could not be happier to share there lives with the public."

"Ukki! Ukki! Ukki-Ukki!" The monkeys group up, climbing up top on each other as they form into a big kanji reading 'hi'.

"Ooooooh!" The kids said in awe as they then approach the cages, with the monkeys breaking position and approaching back. "Hi, Mr. Monkey." A girl said waving at the monkeys, with them happily waving back. A few monkeys approach one child, who is more timid than his classmates.

"Um, Ms. Tangerine? Is it okay to be this close?" The nervous boy asked with a gulp, "A-Aren't they dangerous?"

"Of course not, Billy." Ms. Tangerine assured, as she then places her hand on her chin in thought, "Although, there has been a few incidents in the past regarding these monkeys... but that's all in the past; these monkeys are very kind, and would never hurt anyone." Billy sighs in relief as the kids continue to gaze and talk to the monkeys before Ms. Tangerine interrupts, "Okay, students, let's move along now; our field trip is almost over, and I would like to cover everything here so you can have an easier time with your homework due tomorrow."

"Awwwww." The kids groan as they then follow Ms. Tangerine, waving goodbye to the monkeys in the process. The monkeys wave back as they then proceed to play around with each other. One boy stays behind as he watches the monkeys having fun.

A young man just entering his teen years, standing around 4'5" ft/1.35 m tall; with long, spiky red hair with a few, long, bright yellow bangs and strands going through the center. He is wearing a white sweater with thick, red, horizontal stripes across the front upper torso; a dark, red neck collar, with the sleeve's wrists having the same color; and has a red lining on the pockets. He also wears a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black and white shoes with white laces. He is kind boy, but has also plenty of spunk and has a bit of an attitude. Overall, he is a good kid who doesn't even want to hurt his worst enemies unless he has to. The boy looks up at the monkeys with his blue eyes, happy to see they are doing well.

"As long as they are nowhere near a Pipo Helmet, then it is safe to say that they won't cause any more trouble ever again." The boy said, having enough experience with these little pranksters to know how to handle them when things go awry - Spike.

Spike stares at the monkeys for a little while longer until he suddenly blinks in surprise, "Oh no! I'm not with the group! I gotta go!" Spike then runs off, with some of the monkeys waving goodbye at him as he makes a turn around a corner, "How can I daze off at a time like this? Ms. Tangerine is gonna kill me if she knows I'm not there with her!" Spike sweats nervously, running along the walkways, taking a few turns, desperately trying to find his classmates, "Oh! Where did they go! ... Huh?" Spike slows down on a round area part of the walkway as he notices something nearby. It is a small circus tent with a set of land, decorated as a beach shore behind the public handrail; it lies in the top center of the monkey area, having the monkey cages stand next to it. There are several toys in front of the tent such as a beach ball in the front; a red slide on far left corner; a kiddie pool on the bottom right; a big box filled with fan mail with a rocking chair next to it on the center; and a banana tree growing on the far left corner.

The small circus tent lies on the far back, and inside, there is a caretaker, who has a brown mustache and a blue caretaker suit, with a staff doctor checking on the monkey that lives in this part of the resort. Spike approaches the area, placing his elbows on the hand rail, "Excuse me!" Spike said, getting the attention of the caretaker.

"Oh. It's you, Spike." The caretaker said. He stops the doctor for a second as he then exits the tent, and walks up to Spike, "Are you here to see the show, Spike? I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait for a few more hours."

"No, that's okay, sir." Spike replied kindly, "I'm just curious if there is anything wrong with Kuuta."

"Oh, no; don't worry. Today is Kuuta's health check-up. We do this every month to make sure Kuuta remains as healthy as he has always been." The caretaker assured as he then takes a look back at the doctor waiting for him, "I have to go back now, Spike. I'll bring Kuuta out once he's done."

"No worries, sir. Take your time; I'm in no hurry." Spike said with a big grin.

The caretaker goes back into the tent as the doctor resumes checking on the monkey's pulse. Spike observes the tent quietly while resting his cheek on his palm, not noticing someone approaching him from the side.

"There you are, Spike!"

Spike glances to the side, and sees the person talking to him. He's a young man, around the same age and height as Spike. He has blue, spiky hair; brown eyes; is wearing a blue, leather jacket, with the zipper down to his stomach. He has a black, sleeveless shirt underneath his jacket; black, fingerless, motorcycle gloves, with golden knuckles; dark, grey jeans held up with a brown belt with a golden belt buckle; and a pair of brown shoes. He almost has the same personality as Spike. They often argue, but that's how some best friends act with one another - Jake.

"Hey, Jake. I didn't see you there." Spike said, noticing the look Jake is giving him, which Spike then does a weak smile, "L-Let me guess; Ms. Tange-"

"Yeah! The teacher gave me an earful about you not following us, and made ME come after you." Jake said in an annoyed tone as he then sighs with his arm on his hip, "Seriously, Spike, you know how freaky she can be when she gets mad. Why do I have to get in trouble for you day dreaming and getting lost? You owe me one big time, man..." Spike's forehead lets out a sweat as he rubs the back of his head ashamedly, laughing weakly as he was trying to avoid making eye contact with his mad friend. Jake rolls his eyes in annoyance, but changes his mood upon noticing the tent. "Oh? So this is why you stayed behind."

"Huh?" Spike sees Jake looking at the tent, and smiles before putting his elbows on the hand rail, "Yep... I was heading back to you guys, but I ended bumping into this place again..."

The staff doctor then comes out of the tent, waving goodbye to the caretaker, who also comes out of the tent, holding a monkey up against his chest, "Look who's here to see you, Kuuta." The caretaker said to the monkey as he approaches Spike and Jake. The monkey, Kuuta, is a white, albino monkey, wearing red shorts, and has fluffy hair, with his bangs covering his right eye. Kuuta stares at the duo with his red, visible eye, looking confused as Spike's face brightens up upon seeing him, while Jake isn't as happy.

"Hi, Kuuta! Nice to see you again. Do you remember me?" Spike asked Kuuta, extending his hand to him. Kuuta timidly grabs Spike's fingers as Spike laughs, "Ha ha! Yes, it's Spike. I'm glad you remembered!" Spike then gazes over Jake, "You remember Jake too, right, Kuuta?"

"H-Hey, Kuuta. It's nice to see you doing well..." Jake said a little nervously, with Kuuta looking at him confusedly. Jake's eyes then widened, "Oh, hey! We need to get going, Spike!"

"Oh yeah!" Spike and Jake then ran off as Spike looks back while waving, "Take care of Kuuta, Sir! Bye, Kuuta!"

Kuuta looks on at the duo leaving as the caretaker then takes him to play on his favorite slide.

Back with Spike and Jake, the two stopped running and proceeded to regroup with their classmates, already knowing that their teacher is going to yell at them regardless if they got back quick or not. "... Do you think he'll come back again?" Jake asked, looking at his feet with his hands in his pockets.

Spike, walking with both hands on the back of his head, stays quiet for a few seconds before answering, "We've handled him before. If he does come back again, we'll be ready for whatever he has planned."

"You better be right..." Jake said. A few seconds pass as Jake stretches his arms over his head, "Hey, do you wanna come over and help me sort the junk in my room? I feel like doing something different for a change."

"Sorry, but I can't." Spike said, looking at Jake, "I have to go the Professor's lab to see the new project he's been working on lately. The Professor hasn't told me anything about it since he started working on it months ago, but he's finally going to show me what it is!"

"A new project, huh?" Jake asked as he then smiles, "Sound great! I wanna come too!"

"Hee hee! You sure you want to come to see the project, or do you just want to see Natalie again?" Spike teased with a big grin on his face.

Jake blushes heavily as his cheeks turn bright red, "Sh-shut up! I'm just curious about the project, that's all! IDIOT!" Jake crosses his arms in annoyance as Spike giggles, but quickly calms down as he gazes up at the clouds above, "You know, it has been a little quiet lately. Maybe this new project thing will help change things up a bit."

"Knowing the Professor, that's exactly what I'm hoping for." Spike said with a thumbs up. He and Jake exit the monkey section and see one of the park's clocks, "Hey! Class is already over!" Spike then smirks at Jake, "Race you to the lab?"

Jake smirks back, "I'll see you there, Slowpoke!" The two then proceed to race along the walkways as fast as they can. The two are neck and neck as Spike jumps and runs along the edge of a bush garden, running past several people along the way as he uses a light pole ahead to swing back on the walkway, while Jake was slowing down due to all the people in the way. "Cheater!" Jake exclaimed as Spike is in lead.

"Now, class, I want that homework on my desk first thing in the mo-...!" Ms. Tangerine, who is with her class near a bench on the walkway, seeing Spike and Jake heading her way. Ms. Tangerine's smile faded into a nasty snarl, "Spike! Where have you be-WAH!?"

"See you tomorrow, Ms. Tangerine!" Spike zips past Ms. Tangerine, causing her to spin uncontrollably on one leg and her hands in the air.

Ms. Tangerine stops with a dumbfound look as she then slams her heel on the ground, yelling at Spike as he runs off, "HEY, YOUNG MAN! YOU HAVE A 10,000 WORD ESSAY OVER MONKEY PARK DUE TOMORROW! YOU BETTER-WAH!?"

"I'll let Spike know, Ms. Tangerine!" Jake interrupts Ms. Tangerine as he zips past her, making her spin uncontrollably again.

The kids laugh at the teacher as Jake catches up with Spike, with both of them looking at each other while laughing as they race their way out of the park, going around one of the new attractions that is currently under construction.

**^ O X []**

A tower crane hooks and raises a beam up from its stack. "Okay! Put that on the 20th floor! Let's keep the pace going! Over!" A contractor told the crane operator via his transceiver. The crane operator slowly raises the beam several floors high, slowly moving it to the side to a heavily damaged building, and lowers it between one horizontal and vertical beam. The construction workers on that floor approach the beam, and proceed to weld it in place.

"Just about 32 more fixes, and we should be done with this building, Boss!" a construction worker's voice said from the contractor's transceiver.

The contractor then turns on all frequencies on his transceiver and the stack of transceivers on his desk, "You hear that, guys? We're almost done here, so you better not start slacking off; no one is resting until this city has another working building! Got it!?"

"Yes sir! Over!" All the workers replied.

The contractor puts down his transceiver with the others, and moves away some blueprints and tools to grab his sandwich, "Aw yeah... this is the good stuff." The contractor takes a bite as he walks off, continuing to observe his employees at work.

It has been some time since the world awoke into reality. For a long time, humanity has been manipulated by entities in the shadows, controlling every aspect of their lives. Limbo City, a metropolis city filled with exotic kind of buildings and landscapes, was a prime location for these rulers to prosper.

Limbo City's populace was always under the entities' control, with cameras on every corner, watching every move of every citizen; selling energy drinks that lobotomizes people; the media creating a propaganda against those that go against the entities' wishes; everything was under their rule. Humanity was helpless to do anything against these mysterious beings, and were fated to be controlled by their kind until the end of days. That is, until a certain event opened the eyes of humanity, exposing these rulers' identities to the entire world, losing the control they have had for so long.

After the day of revelation, and the end of a dark era, Limbo City has been reduced to a pile of debris and ruin, nearly destroyed by the rage of the entities' leader himself. Buildings, landscapes, parks, homes, streets, almost all of it have been destroyed. Some of the citizens have moved out after the chaos, while the rest remain in the city, living in the streets and destroyed buildings. Most of the people have formed a union, helping each other out with food, clothing, and other supplies donated to the town from charities and such. Many people have donated enough resources for the city to hire construction workers to rebuild their town, as well as setting up camps for those who don't have anywhere to sleep for the night. Army officials have been positioned in the city days after the destruction, assuring the safety of the people and workers along with the help from the policemen of the city. The city may be destroyed, but the people have never felt more alive.

In one of the few, rebuilt sections of Limbo city, you can see a few people walking around the street talking to one another, passing by some people sitting down on an apartment stoop, eating some canned food while covering themselves with blankets. The section isn't completely rebuilt to perfection, but is enough for the people to live in the meantime. The section has a big fence around it, with soldiers patrolling around. Inside the section, there is a line of people in front of a table, getting their rations for the day. A mother with her child is next in line as one of the volunteer workers picks up a small box of canned food and bottled water from the ground, and hands it over to the family. A man helps the woman with her share as they then leave, "Thank you!" The daughter said happily before leaving with her mother.

A soldier, guarding the front gate of the section, sees the girl leaving, happy to see that she and the rest of community will be able to eat for another day. The guard sighs as he looks ahead, knowing that, while it's manageable to keep the people fed, keeping them safe is a different matter. An army transport truck transporting several troops in the back drives by, with the soldiers keeping to themselves, always thinking the worst will happen. They know they're out there; they have attacked before, and there have been casualties fighting them off. Everyone is scared of those entities attacking again, and they should be, because it gives them the strength to fight back.

The transport truck passes by a block in the city, where the construction workers, and some volunteers, have gathered to fix one of the city's buildings. There are several kinds of construction vehicles in the area, such as bulldozers pushing the debris to an area where excavators pick it up and dump it in a dump truck. There is also a road roller in the streets, leveling the cement in the patches of the road, and a forklift, with the operator lifting some construction supplies and taking them to their designated areas. Lastly, there is the tower crane, stationed in between the corners of two, damaged buildings, perpendicular from each other, putting in the steel beams on the building to its left for repairs.

Several construction workers can be seen using jack-hammers on certain areas, as well replacing broken underground pipelines. Meanwhile, the contractor is arguing with one of his employees, "Look, I don't care! We already have enough work as it is to be done today! Just take some beams to the section, and reinforce the fence later!" The workers nodded hesitantly as they then ran off. The contractor turns around, taking another bite of his sandwich, "Nothing but more and more work piling up... I wished they at least bring better food; I'm not getting paid enough to rebuild this dump."

The contractor takes another bite out of his sandwich as he then takes a few steps forward.

"BOSS, LOOK OUT!" A worker cried out from afar.

"Huh!?"

CLANG!

"Whooooaaa!" A big beam crashes into the ground behind the contractor, who gets knocked off his feet and hits the floor hard. Everyone is dumbfound and at shock as the dust scatters across the area after the beam fell.

"Boss!" Several workers nearby the incident rush over to the contractor, who coughs heavily as the workers help him sit up, "B-Boss, are you okay!?"

"Ngh... what was-!?" The contractor's heart skips a beat, surprised to see the beam that nearly killed him. He then looks up, seeing the tower crane having the crane just above him, "That f***ing maniac!" Furious, the contractor turns on his transceiver and contacts the crane operator, "You call yourself a professional!? You nearly killed me, you idiot! What are you doing up... there?"

Up on the tower crane's control panel, the crane operator's hands shiver in fear. A cold sweat forms over his brow, staring at the cable, witnessing how it was torn by something. "Geh!" The operator is taken a back upon hearing several sounds coming from above outside. He began seeing several shadows appearing through his window. The contractor and the workers gaze in silence as they can see several figures walking in a slouch posture along the top of the tower crane.

"Oh no!" A worker cried out as he and the other can see at least a dozen figures on top of the tower, and they know they aren't 'people'.

"Whuh!?" The contractor gasped as he sees the crane that fell with the beam earlier comes flying out of the dust cloud and lands in front of him and the workers. Some of the workers take a step back as the dust cloud starts to clear, showing that there are more 'people' in front of them, with a few getting on the fallen beam.

They appear to be human-sized, white, porcelain dolls, filled and mostly covered in a black fluid; and have a spiky club grafted into their right arms. The dolls only have their mouths showing as fluid shows images of monstrous faces from within. These creatures, former rulers of humanity, shiver with excitement, dragging their clubs along the ground as they make their way towards their prey.

"DEEEMOONNNSS!" A worker cried out as everyone begins to panic and attempt to flee.

Eager to take humanity back under their rule, the demons chase after the workers. These particular demons -Lesser Stygians- hobble quickly to one of the workers, striking him in the arm with its club, "Gah!" The worker cried as he staggers forward as the lesser Stygian then jumps on his back and lowers his club down on him.

A siren then goes off as it is heard across the whole city, alarming all the citizens in the process. "Everyone, get inside!" A soldier yelled as all the citizens run in fear, hurrying to get inside the sections and buildings.

"Mommy!" A girl cried as she, her mother, and many others hurry to a building, with several soldiers guarding it from the front, the back, and the rooftops. The section's gates close off as several military vehicles hurry over to the construction site.

"Somebody help us!" The workers and the volunteers are trying to escape, but the Lesser Stygians are hot on their trail. Some people are hiding in a dump truck with the doors locked, but the demons spot them as they rush to the truck's hood and break the front windows, reaching in to grab the people with their disgusting hands "Noo! Get away!"

Other workers pick up shovels and pickaxes, trying to fend off the demons themselves, but the Lesser Stygians break their weapons with ease with their clubs, causing the workers to fall on their rears in shock. A police car then comes in, with three cops shooting the lesser Stygians away, helping the workers to flee. More policemen come to help, but the demons overwhelm quickly as they are all over the place, destroying the equipment and attacking people within their reach.

The policeman fire at the demons, with one of them getting shot as it staggers a step back. The shot alarms the rest of the Lesser Stygians as they start to attack the cops, whom are getting outmatched and fast. "I gotta get out of here!" The contractor cried, trying to get away while the demons are distracted. Suddenly, one demon pops up around the corner of a bulldozer, surprising the contractor, "Ggh!" The contractor turns around to flee, but the demon attacks him with its club, scraping the contractor's back with the spikes of its club. "AAAHHH!" The contractor fell in pain as the Lesser Stygian gets on top of him to finish him off, but is then shot square in the face, instantly falling on its back.

The military arrives as the trucks surround the construction site, preventing anything from getting out. The troops rush out of the vehicles as they quickly stood side by side, aiming their weapons at the demons. "Fire!" The troops fire the machine guns rapidly at the demons. Most of the demons are getting shot down one by one, not being able to handle that much fire-power. As the soldiers continue firing, something flashing lands on one of the vehicles, flashing out a few waves that catches the attention of a soldier nearby.

KABOOM!

"Guagh!" The vehicle explodes as the soldiers are blown away from the blast, most of them surviving, but not without some major injuries. The soldiers who saw the explosion from afar then see little putto-like demons flying over the military vehicles. They have golden, doll-like, bodies, with horns coming from both sides of their heads, and have an open cavity filled with fire in their abdomens. These demons -Bathos- take out the fire from their abdomens, and drops them on the vehicles. "Run! Get away from the trucks!" The soldiers begin running into the construction site as the Bathos blew up their vehicles, creating a wall of fire and smoke on one side of the site. The lesser Stygians then attack again, clubbing one soldier across the head, while the troops shoot back.

The Lesser Stygians on top of the tower crane then jump off to help their brethren out. The crane operator can do nothing but watch everything taking place in the control panel, too nervous to even move. Suddenly, a side window of the control panel shatters inward as the remaining Lesser Stygian on the tower attempts to grab the crane operator. "Ah!" The operator cried as he then opens his door, and climbs up on the tower. The demon pursues the man, running alongside the lever, stumbling towards the end of it as he then falls forward. The operator turns around, crawling away from the demon that got closer and closer. As this is happening, a shadow comes flying in through the fire from over the military vehicles, seeing the man in danger above him. He takes out something as he uses it to latch on to the torn cable of the tower, swinging himself forward for leverage as he takes a long swing back, letting go at the apex of the swing as he then soars high up in the air, and latches onto the end of the lever, "No, please!" The crane operator cried as the lesser stygian raised its club over his shoulder, but before it could lower it, the shadow pops in, flying in over the operator and towards the demon.

The shadow then takes out a pair of guns, one white and one black, and repeatedly fires at the demon, knocking it back a few feet. The shadow front flips in mid-air as he takes out his sword, and cuts the demon in half upon landing, causing it to explode in black fluid. The crane operator is at a loss for words as the shadow then stands up straight and sees the chaos below.

The sunlight shines over the shadow, who appears to be a young adult, standing around 6 ft/1.82 m tall, with short, white hair with the sides of the head shaved, forming a short mohawk out of the hair at the top of his head, tapering off into a point at the nape of his neck. His attire consists of a black, 3/4 length, hooded, leather jacket, with red inner linings, and the British Union flag sewn into the left arm; a gray tank-top; black fingerless gloves; black faded jeans; black military boots; and a red, jewel necklace around his neck. He also has holsters for his guns at the back of his waist, underneath his coat.

The man glares at the demons below, cracking his neck as he then looks at the crane operator, "Stay put." The man said. The crane operator nods nervously as the man then takes a step forward, and gets off the lever, falling towards the ground. The man dives in as he does a front flip, taking out his guns in the process as he shoots at the demons below at the end of his flip. Some of the Lesser Stygians are taken aback, giving the soldiers a chance to fire at them with ease. The man then lands effortlessly on top of a bulldozer, leaving a big dent as the demons then turn towards him.

"DANTE!" The demons growled.

The man then flips over the demons, shooting his guns at them as some of them fall in the process. The man lands on the ground as the injured demons charge at him from behind. The man quickly turns around, and swings his sword upward, knocking one into the air as the man then dashes forward and thrusts his blade through two demons, taking them down as the man turns around, and slashes the falling demon across the waist before it fell to the ground. All the demons then glare at the man, and charged at him from all directions. The soldiers and policeman regrouped, letting the man handle the demons on his own while guiding the people to safety. The man sees this, but he doesn't mind; to ensure the safety of humanity, all demons must die, and no one can get the job done right other than a Demon Hunter - Dante.

A Lesser Stygian swings his club at Dante, who evades and slashes another Stygian that was getting close. Dante then swings his sword in circular motions left and right, taking down every demon that came close. Dante's sword, Rebellion, then turns into a white chain with a snake-like head glowing in a blue aura, The Ophion. Dante latches the Ophion into a Bathos, and launches himself towards it. Dante's swords reverts back to Rebellion as Dante cuts the Bathos into pieces, and quickly takes out Ophion again, and swings himself to another Bathos to repeat the process. Dante then latches onto a light pole as he swings around it, and lets go to do an Angel Lift, allowing him to sour through the sky a few feet as he then cuts through a few demons on top of dump truck. Dante lands on one knee as a Bathos drops an explosive near him, but Dante quickly kicks the explosive to a group of demons as it then explodes, taking most of them out in the process. Dante then takes out his guns, Ebony &amp; Ivory, and rapidly shoots down the Bathos.

Dante walks around the site, shooting all the Bathos he sees as another demon appears, swinging its blade at Dante, who rolls to the side to avoid. It is a Stygian, and unlike its lesser version, this one has its doll body intact, having only a horn of fluid emerging from the hole in the side of his face, and is much more intelligent and powerful, branding a large razor on its arm instead of a club. "Tsk!" Dante's brow furrows as the Stygian and its lesser counterparts attack. Dante shoots the lesser demons on the side, and quickly takes out his blade to clash with the Stygian. The Stygian strafes to the side, and does a spinning, overhead swing at Dante, who narrowly rolls out of the way to avoid as he shoots another lesser demon in the way. Not wasting any more time, Dante dashes at the Stygian, giving it a blinding flurry of stabs. The Stygian parries the first few stabs, but can't keep up as it gets stabbed dozens of times, with the final stab sending it on its back.

Dante then hurls his sword in the air, and takes out his guns, spinning himself as he shoots every last demon on sight, not missing a single shot. The few remaining demons charge towards Dante, who quickly spins and roundhouse kicks one of the demon's jaws off. Dante gets low to avoid the swings from the other two demons, who hit each other instead as Dante jumps and shoots their knees on the way up, and falls back on top of them on with his boots, crushing their skulls. Dante then shoots the jaw-less demon through the head, as the Stygian from before lunges at Dante from behind, but Dante's blade comes down, and pierces through the Stygians neck, cutting its head in the process. The head rolls to Dante's side as Dante gets up, and kicks it away into a garbage can.

It's over. All the demons are gone, and humanity is safe for now. The troops and policeman enter the site again, seeing Dante carry his sword over his shoulder with a vulgar look. Some of them are happy that Dante came, as they cheer at him for defeating the demons. Others just stare in silence, with a policeman gazing over his shoulder, seeing the contractor taken away on a stretcher.

The policeman then glares at Dante, "You sure took your sweet time getting here," He said crossing his arms, "I know you're our trump card against those things, but that doesn't mean you can slack off, picking up daises while people are getting hurt!" Everyone stays quiet, as Dante then walks towards the policeman's direction, "You have as much responsibility protecting these people as we do, so don't expect to get special treatment from us-MMM!?"

Dante places his palm over the policeman's face, "Get out of my face, fatso." Dante said nonchalantly as he pushes the cop aside, making him fall to the ground as Dante then walks past him. The policeman gets up with his elbow, gritting his teeth towards Dante as everyone silently watches Dante leave. The soldiers then went to help out the wounded, with one soldier approaching a demon corpse lying over a barricade, and stabs it in the head with a knife out of spite. The soldier pulls the knife out of the head as its fluid spews out from it's skull.

**^ O X []**

A visible, green, gas substance is coming out of a vent in the middle of a forest, brightening the area around it in the middle of the night. A somewhat big and unusual spider with a pod on its back approaches the vent, curious of its glow as its eyes glisten in a bright green color. The spider loses interest after staring at it for a few seconds as it then walks away into the darkness of the night. It then sees another source of light just outside the forest. The spider goes to the light, but before it could get there, it hears a sound coming behind it.

KRAK!

The spider gets run over by a hover car zooming through the forest, avoiding non-living obstacles in its path towards the light. The hover car drives around the hills, approaching a bazaar, which consists of blocks, defined by buildings and concrete walls to segregate separate market areas. The hover car goes through the underpass of an elevated, glass highway, and parallel parks in front of a building as its thrusters slowly turn off, descending to the ground gently.

"Did you really have to drive so fast? I thought was going to have a heart attack for a second there." One of the people in the hover car said, coming out of the passenger seat door.

"Quit yer' yappin!" Replied the driver, coming out from the driver's seat, "Just be glad we've made it in time for the party. We would have missed half of it if you were driving."

"Yes, but... oh, ewww! Look at this!" The person walks underneath the light from the light post as she kneels down, seeing the bits of the spider they ran over oozing all over their car bumper. The person sighs as she stands back up, "That's it! I don't care if we ever get late to anything else again! I am driving from now on!"

The woman appears to be human, with the only abnormal thing about her is her very long, pointy, elf-like ears. The man with her also have the same ears, as well as the other people around the bazaar. The man with her sighs in annoyance as he then proceeds to clean up most of the spider bits off the car, with his wife berating him some more as the shops around them start closing up. The store owners lock up for the night as they, and many other people leave the bazaar, go to the heart of Haven City to celebrate for a special occasion.

Haven City is a big, metropolitan state, resting at the bottom of large mountains in the middle of a wasteland, with the bazaar being one of the many sectors in its grand structure. The main town is the heart of the city, located in the center district; it is one the most visually appealing districts, having tall buildings made out of stone and concrete, and also having river bays, fountains, and statues around the concrete walkways. Just ahead of the upper half of the main town lies an enormous stadium where racing events are held; and floating over the upper half of Main Town is a huge race track with many dangerous turns and tight corners, only for advanced racers during a grand championship event. On the north, north-east district of Haven City is the New Haven district; a fairly new district that is as visually appealing as Main Town in its own right, having side walks placed between rivers of water on either side, decorated with various trees, shrubs, and water fountains, lined with skyscrapers, apartments, and other buildings, being more architecturally advanced than Main Town.

Encompassing the sides of Main town is the eastern bazaar, and the previously mentioned western bazaar, with the western side having the northern and southern Gardens surrounding it, serving as a passage between them; and the eastern bazaar having more elevated highways for safe, commerce transportation. Next to the eastern bazaar is the slums, the poorest district of the city, but it has developed greatly over time, having the small buildings and houses being fully constructed, and the roads being clean with no potholes. With the Freedom League having their base around the corner, the slums continue to smoothly progress into having better living conditions. Below the slums is the industrial section, home to many of the industrial buildings and steam plants, having a few elevated highways and maze-like walkways.

In the very center of Haven City is the newly constructed City HQ, the prime building and home to the city's highest officials and politicians, where they decide how the city will be managed, or how business deals with other cities will be sorted; basically, where all the city's decisions come from. It is the biggest building of the city, having a similar design as the buildings in New Haven; consisting of big watchtowers on the corners, a watchtower on the sides, and the base of operations being in the top of building in an oval shaped structure.

In the bottom of the flight of stairs in front of City HQ is the central plaza, where many citizens are gathering around an enormous tomb just down the path, with the tomb having a huge statue of the city's founder, Mar, on it. Fireworks are then shot into the air, exploding with glistening colors in the night sky as the citizens are at awe, enjoying this special night.

In the southernmost part of the city lies the South Town district, also known as the Port. The port consists largely of a bay of water, with two, large towers, located in the center of the bay, with bridges connecting them with each other as well as to the walkways of the city. The port is filled with people, walking around and seeing the festive decorations on the walls and banners held up over the center entrance. A couple walk along the left side of the port, going to an establishment called The Naughty Ottsel, which has a sign of a big, orange, furry creature with a devilish grin, with horns on his head, and is holding a pitchfork.

The couple go inside The Naughty Ottsel as some of their friends greet them, and head towards their table. The interior is decorated with 4 dining booths inside the walls on both sides, having blue, rectangular lights in their hexagonal entryways; a brown, triangular ceiling with the top center being flat, having 5 rectangular lights on each upper side between dark brown columns; several pictures hanging on the wall, mostly identical to the same creature displayed as a sign outside minus the horns and pitchfork; and a square bar in the center of the establishment, having a model of a race car on display over the liquor cabinets behind the squared counter. The place is nearly packed with people having a good time as the broadcast monitors hanging over the race car model is showing the news.

"It's 12:05 a.m. today, Haven City, as the first-ever Precursor Haven Day has officially begun!" A female anchorman with blonde hair, wearing an orange suit and a big smile said, having a big monitor showing parts of Haven city and its citizens behind her, "This is one special night you don't want to miss out. Isn't that right, Bob?"

"That's right, Barbara!" A male co-anchor with brown hair and moustache, wearing a blue suit, and having the same big smile as he looks back at the camera, "If you are at home, and are wanting to be part of this new holiday, then get up and get outside right now. Enjoy the day with your friends and loved ones, even with those that might not seem right in the head."

"Remember, kids; don't talk to strangers, especially if you are naive and gullible."

"Ha ha! Right you are, Barbara!" Bob said as he and Barbara laugh obnoxiously, "Hooo.. but seriously, folks; it is a great time to be living in this city, especially on this planet that we live in. We have faced hardships again and again over these last, several years, with the recent Eco shortage incident appearing to be the final nail to our coffins. But it's all thanks to the heroes of Haven City, Jak and Daxter, whom destroyed the Metal Head and Dark maker faction years ago, brought light to the mystery of the Precursors, and saved the world by bringing Eco back to our world once again!"

"Keira, daughter of the Green Eco Sage, Samos, were with Jak and Daxter at the Brink, helping them restore distribution of Eco to the world. We don't know how they did it, but it's thanks to their efforts that every living civilization will be able to live on in peace. Thank you, Jak, Daxter, and Keira; Haven City is forever in your debt." The news music then begins to play, "Coming up next, Pandaroaches: Are they cute, or just plain disgusting? More after this."

At the end of the interior is the main bar counter with a big mirror on the wall, with shelves filled with bottles over it, where the owner of the Naughty Ottsel is telling a story to his friends, re-enacting scenes with various gestures.

"And it flies up with the lava erupting after it! Woosh!" The small creature raises his cup of liquor up vigorously, with the momentum making the liquid shoot up into the air. The liquid falls as the creature poses with a smirk, catching some of the liquid back into his cup, while the rest just showers over his friends, causing them to groan in annoyance, "But thanks to me, we managed to catch the missing part we needed to get that second eco core running!" The creature then waves his hands down across his body with a smug look, "We couldn't have gotten out of that volcano in one piece if it wasn't for my virtuoso nature, and my 'Precursor' stature that kept my team in high spirits during the worst of it all. Yep! It just goes to show: I'm that awesome!" Most of the people at the counter groan and roll their eyes, with only one of them clapping in joy at the otter-weasel hybrid's 'success'.

He is an Ottsel; a small, slender animal, with a large tail, and four limbs that can be used equally in bipedal and quadrupedal modes, and has large eyes; a small, stubby nose; and a large mouth. He stands in 2'10" ft/ 86.3 cm tall, having orange fur with a yellow underbelly, having the same colored striping on his forelimbs. He wears a pair of brown goggles on his forehead, and aviator gloves on his hands, and is also wearing a snazzy pair of blue pants held up with a brown belt, and has circular, brown, knee patches over the knees, with the leggings reaching just below them. He is one of the heroes of this world, certainly NOT one of the best heroes out there, but a hero nonetheless - Daxter.

"Oh, Dacky Wacky! How I love that you have done so much recently. It kinda pains me to not have been there to help out." Daxter's girlfriend said in admiration. She is the same species as Daxter, having blonde hair, wearing a green, heavy-duty top that stops above her midriff, with brown suspenders, short denim shorts, and tall brown boots which strap around beneath her knees - Tess.

"Don't feel bad, baby, you know me; I can handle anything." Daxter replied as he then approaches Tess and coos at her, "Besides, I wouldn't want my Tessy-Wessy getting hurt out there in the Brink, would I? No, no, I wouldn't, Coochie-coo~." Tess giggles while everyone else groans again, which made Daxter look at them in annoyance, "What! You guys don't believe me?" Daxter then gestures at someone at the side of the counter, "Come on, Jak, tell these jealous numbskulls that's what happened!"

Daxter stares at the man, who is sitting down, drinking over the counter. He is a young man, standing around 5'10" ft/1.77 m tall, with a lean, muscular, yet athletic build; having a yellow-greenish, semi-long, mildly-spiky hair; a small goatee; and cerulean, blue eyes. He sports a metal plate on his left shoulder; a blue tunic with no sleeves, wearing fingerless arm gloves of the same fabric and color over his forearm bandages; blue armbands over his biceps; a pair of off-white trousers; brown and blue boots; and a steel ring in the center of his chest held up by three leather straps around his chest. He is a hero with a ruthless, yet caring personality, helping others in the only way he knows how: by blowing them up into smithereens - Jak.

"You exaggerated on several parts about yourself, but yeah, that's 'exactly' how it happened. "Jak said with a smile, putting his cup down on the counter.

"Hey, you can't tell a story by skimming over the details; you have to tell it like it is so that the audience can see it in their heads more clearly."

"Well, let me tell you what I've been seeing my head this whole time." A half monkey, half macaw said, standing at the other side of the counter away from Daxter. He is around Daxter's height, having a monkey-like face, tail, and body; and having bird-like feet, feathered wings, and a head of a parrot. He has a red, blue, and yellow coloration typical to a scarlet macaw, and speaks with a Spanish accent- Pecker, "You were clinging onto Jak's shoulder like a baby the whole way through. The end."

Daxter quickly grows irritated, and turns toward Pecker with a scowl, "Oh, I'm sorry; do YOU have a story to tell? Please tell us one of your greatest accomplishments of being a translator!"

"Hey! It's not as easy as you think!" Pecker replied pointing at Daxter, "The Great and Powerful Onin gets many visitors on a daily basis, and it is my responsibility to translate her visions to her clients with prestige and- hey!" Pecker turns around to an elderly woman sitting on the counter with her legs crossed. She is arched-back and has gauntly limbs, having no pupils in her eyes, and is wearing tattered, green clothing; a sorcery skull necklace beneath her red scarf around her chest; and a large, concave, broad-brimmed hat Pecker often perches on - Onin. Onin attempts to drink some liquor, but Pecker goes and knocks the bottle from her hand, "No drinking! I thought we agreed on this before coming here!" Onin replies irritatedly with several hand gestures, catching Pecker off guard, "H-How dare you! Y-You can't say stuff like that in public! Awrk!"

"Regardless on how it really happened, allow me to say that I couldn't be more relieved you've made it back." A short, elderly man said to Jak, sitting in the center of everyone and in front of the counter. He is a stout man with a stubby body; gaunt limbs; small eyes; large feet and hands; a large round head topped with a large log; a slightly green-tinted skin complexion; and he sports a full-blown beard and moustache trailing down the beard to his waist. He is wearing a plain, green tunic, and a waist cloth typical to olden-world villagers; a pair of glasses, with his left eye lens being larger than his right and has a few lenses attached to it from the side and over it; two thick stumps used as stilts; and a wooden staff he uses as a walking stick. He is the Green Eco Sage - Samos Hagai, "Jak, you have grown faster than I have anticipated in these last few years. I could not be more proud of your accomplishments."

"... Thanks, Samos." Jak replied looking at Samos, appearing content with his words, but feels very happy on the inside.

Samos then looks at the woman sitting in between him and Jak, "And you, Keira, it's been a week, but I'm still overjoyed that you have obtained your sage powers! You have made your father extremely happy!"

"Heh heh! I know, Dad. Even though that is the 17th time you've said that, I... still can't believe it myself." Samos's daughter replied with a weak smile. She is young woman around Jak's age, and a little shorter than he is. She has appealing pale skin, dark green hair, and regular green eyes. She is wearing a white/lavender, midriff singlet, with very short, dark blue sleeves; black pant braces attached 3/4 purple and pink cut-off pants; and bandage-like straps around her arms and legs, both somewhat concealed, respectively, by brown gauntlets and shoes. She is a smart and strong girl, capable of surpassing her father's expectation's just as Jak did - Keira.

"Um, aren't you forgetting someone, old man?" Daxter said as he leans towards Samos, who looks unamused, "I mean, Jak and Keira wouldn't have made it far without me. Heck, I was with Jak way before Keira joined up."

"Oh, sure~. Your consistent whining and demeanor throughout the years has certainly helped Jak and Keira become the respectable figures they are today." Samos replied sarcastically, "You, Daxter, have my eternal gratitude."

"I can smell the sarcasm from your breath, but who cares. You're welcome!" Daxter replied with a big thumbs up while Tess leans her head on his shoulder.

Samos sighs as he then rubs his temple, "It still boggles my mind even now," He then looks at Keira, "I specifically remember telling you NOT to go to the Brink! It's a dangerous place for a little girl such as yourself, and what's worse, is that you were in the exposure of Dark Eco!"

Keira then grows irritated, "Dad, I'm not-!"

"I know, I know... you're not a little girl any more." Samos interrupts, looking away from his daughter before turning towards her, "But even so; you have passed the trials in becoming a sage, but this is only the beginning." Samos then smiles widely, "Keira, it has been a long time coming, but it is now time that I show you the ways of a Sage. As soon as the Sacred Site is clear from those mutant pests, we will begin your training in our old home, just like before." Samos then points at Keira with his staff, "We will not cut corners with your reckless ideas," Keira frowns as Samos lifts his staff over his head, "We will be doing this the way I was trained; the old-fashioned way!"

"As if you have any other way, gramps." Daxter said as he is lying on Tess's lap, eating a grape she placed in his mouth.

Samos ignores Daxter as Keira then places her hand over her father's shoulder, "Dad, I appreciate your help... okay, we can do it your way."

"Wonderful!" Samos replied happily as he jumps off his seat, "We will start first thing in the morning! Get some rest, Keira; we will be hitting the books every day before doing the real thing in the sacred site. Don't flake out on me, got it?"

"Yes, dad. Got it. See ya later." Keira replied unenthusiastically as she watches her father leave in a hurry, "Uhh..." Keira then places her elbows on the counter, coursing her fingers through her hair to the top of her head, "That was more painful than I thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" Jak asked as he gently places his arm around Keira's shoulder, "Samos is proud that you awakened your sage powers. He just wants to help you master them."

"I can handle anything he throws at me." Keira said as she places her hands on the counter, "It's just that he can be so stubborn when he does things his way. -sigh-... What I'm worried about is that we might not see each other as often as we usually do given the circumstances and everything."

Jak smirks, "Well then... I'll just have to be there with you while you study."

"Ha! My dad won't allow it. He'll probably say you will be a distraction."

"Who cares? I'll talk with him; he'll have to say 'yes' eventually."

Keira turns her eyes at Jak with a leer, "Oh really? Hmm... I guess there are some perks in being stubborn when it works in your favor." Keira and Jak stare at each other's eyes for a few seconds as they close in for a kiss.

"Hey, Jak!" Daxter pops up between Jak and Keira, interrupting their moment as Daxter can barely contain his laughter, "Ha ha! Get a look at that, Jak! I helped granny get some booze behind bird brain's back, and now she's cursing the crap out of him!" Jak and Keira are more annoyed at Daxter to pay attention at Onin, whose nose is red as a tomato, cursing continuously as Pecker, who is petrified in disgust.

"P-Please, Onin! I have feelings too, you know!" Pecker cried as then turns towards Daxter with a furious and stiff movements, "You've done it now, rat boy! Now it's going to be harder for me take her back home!"

"Look at it this way, birdie," Daxter jumps back on the counter and waves his hand, looking away from Pecker, "You are the sidekick; you are not responsible for the old girl. Just stop pretending you make decisions for her and your head will feel even lighter."

"Awwrrrk! The only thing light around here will be your head after I'm done clawing it apart!" Pecker yelled as he flaps his wings and dives into Daxter, knocking him down on the ground.

"Oooww! Okay! It's go time!" Daxter fought back as he and Pecker tussle on the counter, with Tess watching worryingly, while Jak and Keira didn't really care as much.

"I knew there was going to be fight here this early at the holiday."

Jak and Keira turn around, seeing another friend of theirs approaching them through the crowd. He is a little taller than Jak, with blue eyes, pale skin with gray-blue tattoos on his face and on the visible parts of his body, and has brown-red, dread-locked hair, reaching just above his shoulders. He wears a blue tunic and armor around his arms; a red scarf around his neck; an oxygen mask resting on his chest, with tubes travelling towards his back; brown pants with gear on them; and spiked boots. He is the Captain of the Freedom League- Torn.

"Hey, Torn. I didn't think you'd show." Jak said as Torn approached him and Keira.

"Had to do a few errands before clocking out for the night. I figured I might as well have a night off after a week of non-stop Eco management." Torn said in his usual gravelly voice.

"Is Ashelin with you?" Keira asked.

"Nah. She wanted to come, but she is still busy handling trade agreements with neighboring cities. It's the happiest thing she has ever done as the Governess of Haven City, though, so I can't really complain. You guys really did make a difference around here. I can't express my thanks enough."

Jak and Keira smile as Daxter look at Torn, pushing Pecker away with both hands, "H-Hey, Torn! You're late! I just told my awesome story, and I'm not going to tell it again!"

Torn doesn't express any emotion, "Great... so much for getting some sleep tonight." He said sarcastically.

"That's right! Hate yourself for me! Gah!" Daxter yelled as Pecker then tussles with him again. Jak rolled his eyes amusedly at the scene as Torn then clears his throat.

"Ahem, say, Jak, I really hate asking you this now, but I need a big favor from you." Jak looks at Torn with a concerned look, "We got a call from Sig at City HQ; he said that one of his spotters saw a group of marauders discovering a dark eco crystal on the mountaintop leagues away from Spargus and have made camp there. The camp is heavily guarded, and Sig doesn't have much aerial offensives, so he is hoping we can lend him a hand in that and help him dispose the crystal properly. It's nothing serious yet, but if that crystal isn't dealt with soon, it's gonna mess up the landscape around it, possibly something worse." Torn rubs his head ashamedly, "My hands are tied at the moment; all the troops are busy with their assignments with the city and trades, and the only people I have are a few rookies, but they're not ready to take on something like this yet. Jak, you're a natural when it comes to these kinds of missions, so I am wondering if you could lead my men at the Wastelands? I know you just came back, but I promise I'll pay you back one way or another."

Jak and Keira look at each other, not sure what to say. Jak then looks at the ground, deep in thought. He closes for a few seconds as then smiles, and looks at Torn, "All right; I'm in."

Daxter stops pummelling Pecker in the face as he gazes over at Jak in shock, "WHAT!? AAH!" Pecker head-butts Daxter, knocking him off the counter. Daxter falls on the ground with a thump, as Tess hurries over to his side.

"Thanks, Jak. I'll contact my boys to let them know you're going." Torn said happily as he then turns around and gets out his transceiver. Jak then looks at Keira, who looks stoic upon hearing Jak's answer.

"I, uh... probably won't see you in the morning. But I'll be back as soon as I can!" Jack assured nervously as Keira then laughs.

"Don't worry about it; I'll see you tomorrow." Keira gets up from her chair and kisses Jak on the cheek, "Happy hunting." Jak smiles as he watches his girlfriend leave.

Moments later, Jack enters his room on the second floor of the Naughty Ottsel, with Daxter following him while rubbing his head in anguish.

"Remember back then when you didn't know how to talk? You were so boring, but at least you kept your trap shut and didn't say anything stupid like just now!" Daxter said in a frustrated tone as Jak opens his locker, "I don't want to spend the new holiday in the wastelands working! That's not what they are for to begin with!"

"We haven't been to Spargus for at least a year. Besides the mission, it would be nice to see how everyone is doing... I think I am overdue for a visit." Jak said, looking at something he took out from his locker.

Daxter notices what Jak is putting on as he then sighs in defeat, "Gah, I hate it when you don't just spell things out. Fine, I'm coming too, but under my free will! Wherever you go, I'll go."

Jak smiles softly as he finishes equipping himself, "Thanks, Dax." Jak then turns around, now wearing the Armor of Mar over his current attire, sporting brown, Precursor metal bracers, grieves, a breastplate, and a shoulder plate. "Well... how do I look?"

"Fat." Jak blinked in confusion as Daxter rolls his eyes, "Well, what did you expect? I know those things are adjustable, but most of you is showing than the last time you wore it."

"Fair enough." Jak shakes his head as he grabs his blaster from the wall while Dax climbs on top of his left shoulder, "Let's enjoy the rest of the holiday, buddy." He said with a smirk.

"Lead the way, buckeroo."

Jak and Daxter leave their room as they close the door behind them, with the full moon outside leaving things bright inside through the window.

**^ O X []**

The full moon is as bright as ever, a typical thing almost every night in Paris, the capital and the most populous city of all France. Paris is a city well-known for its most-visited art museums, fashion designers, and historical landmarks such as the Notre Dame Cathedral; The Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile; and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. It's late at night, with a few big clouds in the sky as most of the French residents sleeping soundly in their homes, with the moon light keeping the dark streets almost as bright as the lit parts of the city of lights.

In the north-western part of Paris, next to the Sienne River, is the Grand Palais, another one of Paris's landmarks. The Grand Palais is a large museum, a great place for art exhibition events; a huge building with a glass vault ceiling, iron and light steel framing, and its reinforced concrete. The front alone has several columns and windows on the walls on either side of the front entrance, as well as different statues in front and on top of portions of the building. The building has a banner hanging from between the front columns next to the entrances, depicting a golden necklace with blue diamonds encrusted on each golden plate, with an announcement of a grand exhibition being held for tomorrow. There are banners of that announcement all over the palace, with spotlights lighting on them well enough for drivers passing by to see them.

From on top of a water tower on a building's rooftop, there is a shadowy figure, standing on the tip of the tower with their toes. They observe the Grand Palais' west wing from afar, checking its surroundings. The figure puts away their binoculars as they then jump off the tower and lands on the roof. They run across the roof top and jumps across to the rooftop ahead of them, effortlessly going from roof to roof without slowing down, making their way towards the museum.

The figure then jumps to a wall of a building across the street, and hooks onto a balcony rail with their brown cane with a big yellow hook in shape of a 'C' on top of it. They launch themselves upward, hooking onto every rail along the way as they then reach the roof, landing on it with a front flip as the figure walks along the triangular roof of a window and gazes at the west wing of the Grand Palais.

The figure lays low, leaning over the edge of the triangular roof over a window, getting into the light from the street below him. He is an anthropomorphic raccoon with brown eyes and grey fur, with thick black stripes around his tail, and a black mask over his eyes. He is standing around 5'0" ft/1.52 m tall; and he is wearing a blue elbow-sleeved shirt with a yellow collar; blue boots; blue gloves with yellow cuffs; and a blue cap. Around his waist is a belt with a buckle in shape of a particular raccoon head symbol. On his back is a red backpack, having the same symbol of that of his belt buckle, and a red leg pouch attached to his bare left leg.

The raccoon swings his cane in a circle with his right hand as he then takes out his binoculars and looks at the banners of the building. From the binocular's viewpoint, there are two monitors on the bottom corners of the HUD, with the right screen showing the raccoon's face and the left screen showing an anthropomorphic green turtle, wearing glasses with brown frames; a short sleeve shirt with the sleeves coming out from his shell; a sweater vest underneath his shell; a watch around his wrist; and a red bow-tie around his neck.

"Ahem! This is Olsen McDolsen speaking. Do you copy, Mr. Miller? Over." The turtle, apparently named -Olsen-, asked in a nasally voice.

"Mr... whatever is here, Olsen." The raccoon replied, a little confused as he is looking at building.

"N-No! You can't just-gah!" Olsen shakes his in frustration, "Listen, I know you hate the code names, but just bare with it this time; we are going to be in the clutches of the police if we don't watch our step!"

"For breaking into one of this country's landmarks, I think hiding our names isn't going to help much."

"It's not just that! I've read a forum in ThiefNet that Interpol has installed the latest security measures to protect the Yeux de Paillettes. Since Interpol found out that the organizer of the exhibit stole the necklace from Egyptian grounds yesterday, they beefed up security to a tee, with one function in particular, having a radar that can detect third-party radio frequencies! They can hack into our frequency and listen into our conversation without us knowing! Plus, they can track where we are instantly!"

"So they made things challenging for me; makes the necklace that much worth it." 'Mr. Miller' said smiling arrogantly.

From somewhere around Paris, 'Olsen' types on his laptop with the lights off, "We're fine from where you are now; the radar's range doesn't go past the building's perimeter." 'Olsen' adjusts his glasses, "Let's review the plan; the radar is the only thing impeding our operation, but there is a way to bypass it. 2 minutes from now, there will be a guard that will come out to stretch his legs. He is an old security guard that always works at the palace, and always comes out to stretch at this time of night."

"Sounds like a professional." Mr Miller commented.

"I hear he likes what he does. Anyway, this guard loves to eat fish sandwiches, even if they aren't as fresh. Do you have the sandwich with you?"

'Miller' looks over his shoulder, looking at his backpack with disgust as flys can be seen buzzing around it, "Yep. I can still smell it."

"Good. The guard always disables the alarms so that they don't go off when he gets outside. When the guard comes out of the security door, get close to him without being seen and place the sandwich nearby. Once he's distracted, get inside the control room, and turn off the security mechanisms; then go up to the roof, and enter through one of windows. There is a loose window that can be opened around the center of the vault, so use that to get in." 'Olsen' then looks through the window before sitting back down, "According to my estimates, the guard will take 3 minutes to scarf down that rotten fish. We're under a strict schedule; just get in, grab the necklace, and get out."

"Roger that. Maybe after this, we can grab a bite to eat down at the pier, see what we can 'fish' up."

"Why must you make me gag?"

'Miller' cuts off his communication with 'Olsen' as he puts away his binoculars. Miller then jumps off the roof and lands on the banner held up by light posts on both sides of the street. He runs along the banner, jumps off, and lands on the grass near the west wing. He lowers his head, sneaking towards the security door as he then hides in the bushes to avoid being seen by the passing cars on the street. Miller jumps out, and swiftly places his back against the wall, shimming towards the door until it suddenly opens.

Out comes an old anthropomorphic pig, carrying his flash light as he stretches up into the air. "Hm? Who dat!?" The guard quickly aims his flash light to his side, only to see a wooden barrel. "What the? Where did this com-!?" The guard's eyes widen as he sees a rotten fish sandwich on top of the barrel, "Oh goodie!" The pig grabs the sandwich and takes a big bite out of it. The pig moans in delight as he turns away from the barrel and sits down on the grass, taking more bites out of the sandwich. As the guard is distracted, the barrel suddenly stands up. Miller's feet can be see from the bottom as he tiptoes with the barrel to the security door. Miller puts the barrel against the open door as he then jumps out of the barrel, knocking its lid out in the process, and rushes inside the museum. Miller runs along the hallways, passing by multiple doors as he then sees the open doorway to the security control panel. Miller peaks his head in to see if it is occupied, and sees no one. He tiptoes inside the room as he approaches the control panel in front of a wall of monitors.

Miller later sneaks out of the room, shifting his eyes left and right to see if the hallway is still empty. "Olsa, I turned off the security. That should buy me some time."

"Olsa?" Olsen blinks dumbfounded, "Er.. good. There might be some guards around, so take the air vent nearby to get to the roof quicker."

Miller sees an air vent on the ceiling near a doorway, big enough for him to crawl in. Miller jumps and whacks away the vent's lid with his cane as he then jumps on a water cooler, and jumps straight into the vent with haste without knocking the cooler down. Miller crawls deeper into the vents, holding his cane with his teeth as Olsen is instructing him where to go. After a few seconds going up the vent, Miller reaches the top, entering inside one of the roof's air conditioners. Miller whacks the conditioner's lid a few times until it breaks open. Miller then catches the lid with his cane as he gets out, and quietly places the lid up against the conditioner. He then looks around the roof, seeing nobody around as he quickly runs to the glass vault.

"Let's see here..." Miller looks for the loose window around the center of the vault by tapping gently on window, finding it instantly. Miller uses his cane to insert through the window's opening, gently pulling it off from the vault and placing it on the ground. Miller then leans his head inside the palace, seeing a big open structure with several Egyptian artifacts placed all over. Over at the top center of the exhibit is the Yeux de Paillettes, the ancient Egyptian necklace on display on a head figurine on a pedestal, with red barrier rope hanged up by golden poles around it. Miller leans back with a confused expression, "Funny..."

Miller loses his train of thought as he remember that he doesn't have much time left. Miller reaches into his backpack, and takes out a long rope. He ties the rope around an air vent nearby, and throws the other end inside, with the end reaching halfway to the main floor. Miller then grabs the rope, and gets inside, slowly descending by gripping loosely on the rope. Miller then jumps off and lands on the hand rail on the second floor balcony, and jumps down on several statue heads to reach the main floor. Miller sneaks along the hallways, looking at every sculpture and painting he passes by. Miller stops as he stands upright even more confused, with the necklace being just a few feet ahead of him.

"There it is, Miller!" Olsen shouts via Miller's communicator, "Hurry and get it; the guard should be done with his sub-par meal any second now!"

"I don't know about this," Miller said with a serious expression as he approaches the necklace, "There is nobody here, and with the 'advanced' security disabled... It shouldn't be this easy."

"Hurry, Miller! You're running out of time!"

Miller sighs as he then swipes the necklace from the figurine with his cane, and catches it with his left hand.

WEE! UUU! WEE! UUU!

"Huh!?" Miller's ears rise up alarmingly as the building's alarms then go off. Spotlights from every corner of the top center then shine over Miller, blinding him momentarily. "Ah!"

BAM!

The doors open violently as several policemen come rushing in from all entrances, swiftly surrounding Miller. Miller looks at his surroundings, watching the police as they hid behind the sculptures, paintings, and the railings on the second floor, aiming their weapons at Miller. The raccoon chuckles as he casually puts his hands up. One police officer then comes in from the west wing, walking past her troops as she aims her pistol at Miller. "This is as far as you go!" The officer said with an accent.

The officer is a anthropomorphic fox around the same age and height of Miller. She has brown-orange fur, having a mole under her left eye; and waist-length, blue hair, in a braid at shoulder level. She is wearing a dark blue, midriff-baring, corset-type top, that zips in the front; red lipstick; form-fitting, dark blue pants; a choker which her badge hangs from; a light brown leather jacket; yellow gloves; a lone earring on her left ear; and long black boots. She is a member of Interpol; the best inspector to ever join the police force. She has brought many criminals to justice, but only cares into catching the one thief that always gets away - Carmelita Fox.

"Inspector Fox. I was hoping you'd show. I was getting worried Interpol didn't care about this place." Miller said with a grin.

"Quiet, Ring-tail!" Carmelita replied as she then smirks, "Or maybe I should call you 'Miller'?"

Miller raises his brow in curiosity, "Hmm... I could have sworn I turned the security off." He then smirks flirtatiously, "Or maybe you've been spying on me up close? The latter sounds more realistic."

Carmelita slowly approaches Miller, aiming her red and yellow Shock Pistol at him, "Hmph! You're always so full of yourself, raccoon! I already knew you were going to show up the moment I found out that sleazy event organizer stole the necklace. But for once, I'm glad he did something so stupid, because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be able to finally capture you."

"That assurance of yours never gets old; you say things differently, but it always warms my heart just the same."

"Enjoy this moment while it lasts, because you're not the only one going behind bars tonight." Carmelita smirks, "I have brought the latest tech from Interpol here to track your whereabouts. I had a feeling you were going to try and disable the security, but you only turned off the security of the building, not OUR security we have in the basement!" Miller remains silent as Carmelita continues, "We heard you were communicating with your men just now. Right now, my troops are heading to their location to arrest them!"

Outside in the streets of Paris, three police cars zoom along the roads with their sirens on, heading towards Olsen's location. Olsen types at his laptop, sweating nervously as he listens to Carmelita and Miller via Miller's communicator.

"You've really thought things through this time, Carmelita. I have to say, though, this is really going to make things harder for me." Miller said with a smile.

On the streets, The police stop in front of a two-story building, seeing a light cast a shadow over to the road from the second floor window. An anthropomorphic hippo with a bushy moustache, sunglasses, and in a trench coat, then comes out the front door in a panic. "Help! I've been robbed!" The hippo exclaimed, "There is some guy that -uh- took my awesome stuff! He locked himself upstairs!"

"Move in!" The police got out of their cars and hurry up stairs, passing by the hippo, who frantically keeps pointing at the second floor. As the police got inside, the Hippo quickly calms down as he turns towards the police cars with a glisten in his sunglasses.

Back with Miller, Carmelita walks up to him, and snatches the necklace from his hand, "You're not getting away this time, Cooper." Carmelita said as she puts the necklace in pocket, and takes out her handcuffs, "There is no point in resisting, just come in quietly, and I'll promise you and your team will receive a lighter sentence."

"You're just making things even worse for me, Inspector." Miller snickered.

Back at the apartment, the police slowly approaches the door to the lit room. Olsen pants heavily as he is typing harder than before.

"Stop acting so foolishly! Accept the fact that I've caught you red handed!"

Miller sighs, "Aaaand now I feel bad for you."

In the security control panel, a USB drive with the raccoon symbol is seen in one of the ports as the monitors start to flicker.

"NOW!" Olsen exclaimed as he pushes a button on his laptop.

The lights of the Grand Palais then all turn off instantly, alarming Carmelita and her troops as they can barely see anything. "Whuh!" Carmelita jerks forward unexpectedly, feeling a gust of wind blowing past her. Carmelita's eyes widen with anger, "He's getting away! Turn the lights back on!" The guards scurry around, trying to find the raccoon, as a few guards then get knocked away in Miller's path. Miller then gets higher up by jumping on the sculptures and landing on the second floor balcony. One guard close to Miller aims his gun at him, but Miller quickly swipes the gun away with his cane, and swings his cane upward across the guard's chin, knocking him off his feet.

"Ugghh!" The guard falls on his back as Miller jumps over him, with the guards losing sight of the raccoon in the process.

Back at the apartment, the police officers kick the door open and storm in, "Freeze! You are under arre... wha?" The police stood in shock as there is nothing in the room but a bug zapper and a few pillows taped together to look like a small person.

SMASH!

A loud noise is heard outside as the cops hurry over to the windows to see their vehicles destroyed. A van then lights up from an alleyway next to the apartment building as it gets on the road, and drives away, with the cops yelling at it as it goes. The van is painted blue with flame decals on the front and front side, and has the raccoon symbol on all sides of the vehicle.

"Hoooo yeah! They did not see that coming!" The hippo exclaimed, driving the van through the roads at great speed. He is a large, magenta hippo, with big muscles, and a round gut. He wears a red wrestling mask over the top half of his face; red gloves; light blue shirt with short sleeves; a brown belt around his upper gut; and white shoes. He's a big, strong hippo with a big, strong heart, 'The Brawn' of the Cooper Gang - Murray.

'Olsen' closes his laptop and sighs in relief, laying his back against his chair in the back of the van, "Phew.. everything went according to plan. I just underestimated the building's servers. Hacking into the building's power management... was NO easy feat, but I managed to get through just in the nick of time." The turtle said exhaustedly as he may not be as big and strong as his team mates, but when it comes brains, there is no one that can match him. He is 'The Brain" of the Cooper Gang - Bentley.

"Good work, Bentley! The Murray couldn't have done it any better!" Murray exclaimed as he then takes a sharp turn, knocking Bentley up against the back of the passenger seat.

"Oof! Ugh.. huh? The Murphy? Wait, why are you talking in third person all of a sudden? I didn't give you a codename."

"I gave myself one! After thinking about it, I decided to become a hero of justice! Evil-doers beware; The Murray is here to punch the wicked snot off your faces!"

"Okay..." Bentley said with a confused look as he then looks surprised, "Speaking of justice, we need to get there before it's too late! Step on it, Murray!"

"You got it! Huuaaghh!" Murry slams on the pedal, going even faster than before as they fly over an uphill and lands roughly on the road, slowing down a bit before going full speed again.

Back at the Grand Palais, a few lights start coming back on as one of the spotlights turns on again.

"Hurry! Search for him!" Carmelita exclaimed as the guards move the spotlight around the exhibit, but doesn't see Miller. The floor lighting turns back on, showing Carmelita being cuffed to one of the barrier poles. "Why that now good... no!" Carmelita checks her pocket, finding out that the necklace is gone.

"I told you this was going to be hard for me!"

Carmelita looks up at the glass vault, with the spotlight going to the source of the voice as the light shows Miller hanging from the rope and steel framing up high on the ceiling, having the necklace around his arm. "Proving you wrong always gets me down," The raccoon then raises his cane with his free hand with a smile, "But getting the prize and seeing your face in the end is always worth it!" The thief said proudly, always stealing what criminals steal before the cops could get it back, living up to the family name. The Leader of the Cooper Gang - Sly Cooper.

The cops aim for Sly, but he quickly escapes through the vault. Enraged, Carmelita snaps her cuffs from the poles, knocking them over in the process as Carmelita then goes in pursuit. Sly runs along the rooftop, heading towards the west wing. He jumps off and lands on the banner between the light poles and runs along it. The security guard is about to finish his sandwich, but Carmelita comes out of the door, knocking the barrel and guard down as she quickly spots Sly ahead of her.

"You're not getting away, Cooper!" Carmelita exclaimed as she fires her shock pistol at Sly. Sly runs ahead, avoiding the bullets as he jumps towards the building in front of him, landing on a window balcony as he jumps up towards the rooftop. Carmelita chases after him, running past the street with a few cars honking at her as she then takes one big jump into the air, going high enough to get on top of the roof in one go. She then sees Sly running off along a wire connected to another building as she then takes several huge leaps across several buildings across the street from the buildings Sly is on. "You're going to jail whether you like it or not!" Carmelita fires her pistol rapidly at Sly, who ducks and jumps to avoid as some bullets end up hitting roof vents and satellite dishes. "Grr!"

"See? Isn't this more fun?" Sly asked, enjoying the chase as then takes a right turn, jumping off a building, landing on a pole with his toes before jumping down on the ground. Carmelita jumps back on the road, chasing after Sly as they both end up in circular road connected with a few other roads, with the circular path having a fountain enclosed in a fence in its center. Sly stops and turns towards Carmelita, who also stops as she aims at Sly.

"Freeze!" Carmelita is about to pull the trigger, but suddenly, the Cooper Van comes driving in from another road, "Huh!?" The van drifts its back towards Sly as Bentley opens the back doors, allowing Sly to jump in as Murray then drives around the path in great speed, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Carmelita coughs from the smoke as she then jumps on the fountain, and aims for the van, but the van takes another turn to the main road, escaping from Carmelita's sight. Carmelita looks on, angry that Sly escaped from her once again. She raises her fist in the air angrily, "This isn't over, Cooper! I will find you!"

As the van heads across a bridge, the Cooper gang celebrate their latest catch of the night, with Sly holding up the necklace so that his friends can see, "We did it, guys! Here's another night to remember!" Sly said happily.

"We really went all out on that one! I haven't felt so enthralled in a while!" Bentley said while laughing.

"It's true! That was the best heist yet, Sly!" Murray exclaimed happily.

Sly places his feet on the glove box, feeling bitter-sweet, "It's a shame about Carmelita, though... oh well; You win some, you lose some, right?

"It's all about the three of us in the end, Sly. We couldn't have made it far without watching each other's backs." Bentley said.

"Too true. All for one, and one for all." Sly said happily as he raises the necklace in the air.

**In present time...**

The necklace is inside a room, along with many artifacts and paintings on the wall the Cooper Gang have gotten over the years. Bentley, who is currently disabled and is on a wheel chair, is investigating something on his computer. He takes a breather as he looks at a group photo of him and the gang together. Bentley smiles at it for a while until he then grows serious, and resumes working, "Don't worry, Sly. I'll get you back home no matter what!"

Bentley types away, tabbing through each computer file in the process.

**^ O X []**

A floating monitor positioned near a big hovercraft is displaying several icons on its screen. The hovercraft is parked in an empty, hovering, parking lot, positioned near of the many skyscrapers of Meridian City; the capital city of the Polaris Galaxy. The city is also the most populous of Polaris, inhabiting species from dozens of planets across the galaxy, as well as those from other galaxies like Solana and Bogan. The city is filled with towering skyscrapers, with most of them having a white and green color scheme. There are a several kinds of roads and parks in between and above these buildings, with some of them being hard to find even if you know where to go. There is not a single day where you wont see a ship flying by in the city, with hundreds of vehicles flying across the sky everyday even when the city is under attack.

It's a nice sunny day as back on the parking lot, an old, robotic couple are looking down at a manhole with concerned looks

BZZT! BZZT!

"Oh!" The robotic couple gasp as they can hear several noises coming from the hole. A few seconds pass as suddenly, a small building nearby lights up, as well as its holographic signs beside the building's entrance. The couple are in relief upon seeing that as they then look back at the manhole, and see someone climbing up the ladder within. The individual inside raises his big wrench out of the hole, which is holding a mechanical part covered in blue ooze as the individual then pulls himself up from the hole. The couple stare at the individual with relief, and albeit in disgust once they notice that he is partially covered in goo.

"Whoops." Upon seeing the couple faces, the individual picks the goo off his suit while keeping his wrench away from the mess. "Hey, pal, can you give them the run-down while I clean myself off?" The individual asked, talking to his partner in his compact state attached to his back.

The robot's eyes lit up as he comes off the individuals back, extracting his arms and legs out of his body, reverting back to his original state as he lands on his feet. The little robot stands in 2'2" ft/ 66.04 cm tall, with green lit eyes, and skinny black limbs with thick silver joints, such as his elbows and knees, screwed in between. There is a small black vent in the bottom center of his chest, and has somewhat big silver hands and feet, with his hands having black fingers. Lastly, he has a little red antenna on top his big round head, and a wide mouth reaching to the sides of his face. This robot is a highly intelligent mechanical being, always composed in any situation. He can be a goofball from time to time, and would take great risks in getting a mission done even if it would mean costing his life, but if it means keeping his partner safe, then that is all that matters in the end. His real name is XJ-0461, but he is also known as - Clank.

Clank's chest opens up as he takes out a small device, and approaches the couple, "As you can see, Mr. and Mrs. Geezmo," Clank said as he pushes the button on the device, showing a hologram of schematics to the Geezmo building, "the wiring in your sewer systems have been corroded by the battery acid vapors of your ion capacitor." The hologram shows vapors inside the layout of the sewer and building, showing the events Clank just explained, "Had this component remain in the sewage any longer, the vapors would have traversed throughout the pipelines, and corrode the wiring to all facilities in this quadrant. It is very fortunate that you called us before that happened."

"Goodness me! Thank ye so much fo' everythin'." The elderly robot, Mrs. Geezmo, said, "Me' stubborn dox of a husband is too cheap tuh be callin' fur 'elp nowadays."

"Now, I say, hold on now!" Mr. Gizmo exclaimed while waving his metal cane, "It's a man's duty to be cost-efficient, and fix every thing-a-ma-bob that needs a fixin'."

"Tis' yur fault dat stupid thing fell in dee drainage ditch, an' nearly cost us our business!" Mrs. Geezmo yelled, with her metallic wig nearly falling off her head, "Vee wuld had to pay more iv yuh had tried fixin' things yurself!"

"Now, now, there is no need to argue." Clank interrupts, easing the tension, "As part of the Polaris Defence Force, it is our duty to maintain order and structure to all civilian habitats in this galaxy; that includes keeping services essential for civilian use in proper conditions." Clank then raises his finger, "Assuring the safety and peace to others is more rewarding than money can ever give."

"Smart AN' honorable." Mrs. Geezmo gazes at her husband, "Yu' culd learn a ting er two, yu cheap piece o' scrap!"

"Oh pipe down, you old, blundering, pile of loose nuts and bolts!" Mr. Geezmo replied, shaking his head uncontrollably.

"If I may interrupt once more," Clank interrupts the couple's argument again, "My associate here will repair your vessel free of charge in gratitude for your call."

"He better be careful with my baby there..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Geezmo; he is more than capable of fixing any vessel he comes in contact with." Clank then gazes over his shoulder, "Ratchet-"

"Already on it!" The individual replied, having his upper half under the vessel's hood, tinkering with the engine. He is a Lombax; a bipedal, humanoid creature with cat-like features. He belongs to a species hidden in another dimension, and is the only one of his kind residing in this universe. He is standing in 5'1" ft/1.54 m tall, albeit skinny for his size; has yellow fur with light-brown stripes on his large ears and body, minus the face; brown eyebrows and nose; fern green eyes; and a tail with a fluffy tip. He wears a brown cap on his head; brown gloves, with the loose cuffs reaching to the bottom of his elbows; a short-sleeved suit with an orange, light-orange, and blue color scheme, going from the center to the sides on the body; blue pants with brown knee-pads; brown boots; a brown belt with a green gadget as the buckle, and a harness with a similar gadget strapped over the top center of his chest. He and Clank have gone through many adventures together, saving the day everywhere they go, and being the heroes the universe will always need. Who knew that a ship mechanic would have such grand adventures - Ratchet.

"That ought a do it." Ratchet said as he then closes the hood. He then walks over to the couple, "I replaced your ion capacitor, and rewired your cable connections; you shouldn't mix them up as they'll cause the battery to clog up."

"You don't move around things of a man's personal property!" Mr. Geezmo exclaimed weakly, "That's just unsanitary!"

"Oh shut-uhp!" Mrs. Geezmo told his husband as she then looks at Ratchet with a kind smile, "Yu hab 'elped us so much already; ve can't express ho' grateful ve are. Iv only der were more of yur kind around dese parts; dis city wud be a better place."

Ratchet chuckles at the remark, "Huh... don't mention it. I'm happy to help out." Clank notices Ratchet's weak smile after Ratchet said that.

"All right, all right!" Mr. Geezmo said as he turns around and wobbles back to his building, "Back to work now, Missy! Those cakes aren't going to make themselves."

Mrs. Geezmo frowns as she then turns and follows her husband, "Yu better nawt eat any o' dem cakes behind me back!"

"Eat what? We're robots! Get your kernel straight, woman!"

The couple continue to argue as they head inside their building, leaving Ratchet and Clank alone as Ratchet sighs while Clank puts his device back inside himself.

"Two thousand bolts for this..." Ratchet said as he and Clank then walk away, "You need to stop charging so low for our services, Clank. At this rate, we might as well become free maintenance workers."

"The Polaris Defence Force already pays us with a sufficient amount for us to live by comfortably." Clank explained as he walks around a small pool of goo in front of him, "There is no need to overcharge those in need of our services except for the materials needed in the procedure at hand."

"If by living comfortably, you mean not having enough bolts to even buy a box of Sour Space Bars."

"Those are bad for you, Ratchet."

"Says the guy with no taste in sweets."

Ratchet and Clank go to the corner of the parking lot, approaching their ship, The Aphelion - a small Lombax ship fit for two people, with a dark orange color, a tinted orange glass wind shield, blasters on each side at the end of the wings, and the front in shape of two spikes, with the outer layers having a smooth, curved frame, while having flat frames in between, curving into half a circle in front of the cockpit.

The Aphelion opens its cockpit automatically as Ratchet jumps onto its wing, and peers into the cockpit, searching for something. Clank watches Ratchet from the ground with a concerned look, "Ratchet, I've been meaning to ask you something, but I haven't really had-"

"Where is the stabilizer? I had it right here..." Ratchet mumbles to himself. The Aphelion's monitor on the cockpit then lights up.

"Sorry to interrupt, but my electron stabilizer is in need of replacement." The Aphelion's AI said, "If it's not replaced soon, it may-"

"Yeah yeah, I know!" Ratchet said as he takes out a mechanism from below the passenger's seat, "Cool your engines, would ya? I'll fix you in a jiff."

"Well, excuuuse me..." The AI replied, a little annoyed by Ratchet's remark.

Ratchet hops off the wing, and gets under the ship. He takes out his Omniwrench, and begins disassembling the ship's current stabilizer, "One of the few breathers I have today, and I end up doing more of the same work. Give me a break..." He mumbles to himself. Clank tilts his head with worry, but before he could say anything, he receives a transmission from someone, with a hologram of a woman popping up next to him.

The woman looks around before she notices Clank, "Oh, there you are. I thought I was getting a bad connection for a second there." She said. She is a Markazian, a human-like creature with slightly purple dots on her skin below her sharp ears; and has a long, arrow-headed tail. She is a head taller than Ratchet, and has long, brown hair ending in a curl, reaching just behind the back of her shoulders, and blue eyes. She wears a red bandanna around her hair and upper forehead; a red scarf around her neck; a green vest with a dark green, long sleeve shirt underneath, with metallic shoulder pads and thin, red armbands; dark green gloves with light brown cuffs near her elbows; dark green pants with a light brown belt, and light brown boots that reach up to her knees. She is the captain of the Polaris Defence Force, and a close friend to Ratchet and Clank - Talwyn Apogee.

"Good afternoon, Captain Apogee." Clank greeted his captain, "Are you here for our status on our missions for today? We are ahead of schedule with-"

"Whoa, slow down, Clank. You don't need to be formal with me." Talwyn said, chuckling as she waves her hands at Clank, "I know you guys always get the job done. I just wanted to give you the heads up for this evening." She then looks around, "Where's Ratchet?"

"Down here." Ratchet spoke up underneath his ship, still working on the stabilizer.

Talwyn looks at him, and smirks, "Hey there, stud. How come I always find you fixing something?"

"You'd be worried if I wasn't." Ratchet replied while taking out the old stabilizer, "So what's up?"

"I'm sure you both know by now, but as my duty as Captain, I must remind you that today is the Galactic Presidential Meeting. President Phyronix will be holding the meeting at his planet, Marcadia, in Capital City. We're gonna have our forces escort our President to the Solana Galaxy and maintain order during the meeting. I'm gonna need you guys to meet with me outside Igliak's atmosphere 30 minutes before our President is ready to leave."

"We'll have to be there sooner than planned," Clank said, "President Skrunch has the tendency to not go along with schedules provided to him, and loses his composure whenever his associates do not follow his sporadic conditions."

"That monkey can go throw a fit if he wants; we'll get there like we've been planning for weeks." Ratchet replied a little frustrated as he bolts in the new part for his ship. Talwyn is taken back by Ratchet's behavior, and looks at Clank, who shrugs back at her.

Talwyn thinks for a second, and then snaps her fingers, "You know what, Ratchet, we could use a vacation after this. The force has been working hard for weeks after the Nether incident, and I know you guys have been working the hardest. We can go to Pokitaru; you told me you've been there before, and it sounds like a nice place for some R and R." Talwyn leans over to Ratchet's direction with a smirk, "And, you know, we can finally have some time to ourselves..." Talwyn blinks as she then looks at Clank with an embarrassed look, "Oh, um, I didn't forget about you, Clank! Of course you're coming along. Heh heh.. n-not like I didn't-"

Clank gives Talwyn a quizzical look while Talwyn continues her explanation. Ratchet finishes screwing in the Aphelion's new stabilizer as he lays his head against the ground, sighing quietly to himself before looking at Talwyn and Clank without them noticing.

"You know," Ratchet said as he scooches forward, getting out from underneath his ship and sitting up, "I think a vacation sounds like a good idea; I don't think I even had one before, so I'm ready to try out something new."

Talwyn looks at Ratchet, happy to see his mood change, "That's great! Tell you what, I'll assign somebody else to do the work you have left so you can have a few more hours to slack off before we go to Marcadia."

"That's awfully generous of you, Captain." Clank said, "However, I don't feel comfortable giving our workload to our comrades in order to reduce our stress levels."

"I'll pay them extra, so they'll have to get over it." Talwyn then looks at Ratchet, "You guys go rest up. I'll see you guys later!"

"Sure! You keep the galaxy safe in the meantime." Ratchet joked with a smile. Talwyn gave Ratchet the thumbs as she the transmission then cuts off, with the hologram disappearing. Ratchet smile softens as he looks down on the floor, "Am I that obvious, Clank?"

Clank approaches Ratchet, "Your usual behavior has notably become less consistent over the past few days. I didn't wanted to say anything..."

Ratchet looks at Clank as his ears lower ashamedly, "I'm sorry, pal. It's just that doing all this small work these past few weeks has given me time to think." Ratchet then takes out a locket and stares at it, "I keep wondering what is next for us; what kind of danger we are going to be facing next. I feel like we haven't been doing anything worthwhile lately, and it's driving me crazy knowing that something insane is gonna happen like it usually does, and we don't even know what!" Ratchet opens his locket, revealing a picture inside as looks at it sadly, "You and Talwyn are the most important things to me, and I want things to stay the way they are now."

"And it is going to be that way, Ratchet." Clank then places his hand over Ratchet's shoulder, "Maybe the next 'danger' is non-existent; perhaps we've have finally reached a time and place where our usual ventures have come to a close. We now live in a time where we can finally be at peace with ourselves, to 'live life to the fullest' as they say. I understand your worries, Ratchet, but instead of worrying what might happen in the future, focus on what is happening around you in the present and replace those worries with wonderful memories you can make starting with the free time Talwyn gave us."

Ratchet looks at Clank, appearing astonished by Clank's words. Ratchet then looks back at the picture as it displays two Lombaxes standing side by side, both appearing older than Ratchet, with one of them having white fur. Ratchet then smiles softly, "Oh boy... I must have sound pretty corny for a moment there."

"Only to a certain degree." Clank replied jokingly.

Ratchet then gets up on his feet as he and Clank then go aboard their ship. Clank sits down on the passenger seat on the right side, while Ratchet hops on to the pilot on the left as the cockpit then closes. "You're right, Clank. What do you say we get the heck outta here, and enjoy our little break."

"Sounds like a good idea."

The Aphelion's monitor then lights up, "Where are we headed, grumpy pants?" The ship asked.

Ratchet chuckles weakly, "Heh heh.. sorry about before. Set course to Veldin; It's about time you get some shine on those wings of yours."

"Oh! Well then, apology accepted."

The Aphelion begins to hover up high in the air as Ratchet sets the coordinates to his home planet. "Now that we have vacation time, we should create a schedule for our daily activities there." Clank suggested

"We'll wing it once we get there." Ratchet then grasps onto the steering, "Right now, I just want to spruce up the ship while watching the rest of Season 5 of the Galactic Dead."

"I heard the visual novel is more appealing."

"Ha! Everyone is a critic."

The Aphelion turns towards the sky. The ship's thrusters ignite as the Aphelion goes 800 cubit per second, almost vanishing instantly as it heads off into the depths of space.

**^ O X []**

The thrusters burn at full potential as the cruiser flies across the sky, with it and several other ships shooting missiles at their enemies, who are escaping in their tower-like warships while taking a few hits in the process. One of the cruisers shoot multiple missiles at one of the fleeing ships, which its barrier dies out as the missiles explode on its midsection upon impact.

_A few soldiers shoot down several of their foes as two of them rush inside the palace, with the others closing the doors to prevent their enemies from following._

A red light emanates from the goggle lens of a soldier, clad head to toe in a dark gray fatigue uniform made out of a carbon fiber fabric, designed to shield the wearer from harsh weather conditions, and withstand shrapnel, debris, acid, and fire to a certain degree. The infantryman breathes heavily in his gas mask as he and his comrades fire their machine guns rapidly at their enemies, who zoom past them in their vehicles.

_"Didn't I kill all of you yet?" From the point-of-view of a soldier, he sees the two enemy soldiers that infiltrated the palace moments ago. The soldier then hand gestures his men, "Cut them off." His men spread out as he then makes his move._

"Move! Move!" a soldier shouts to his comrades as they board their drop ship, getting on top of the ship's platform. In contrast to their enemies, these soldiers don't wear rebreathers or goggles. They appear to be regular people wearing standard, pale green, marine outfits, with backpacks, ammunition carriers attached to their belts, and black combat boots. They fly off in their drop ships as their enemies appear and shoot them from afar.

_The soldier swiftly moves around the proper, avoiding a destroyed battle ship that crashed in through the window moments ago. He crouches underneath a barricade, hearing his men getting shot by the resilient soldiers that oppose him. Clenching his fist in anger, he teleports behind one of the men on top of second floor balcony, "You seem to want this to be personal," He said as he brandishes his combat knife at his alarmed foe, "it will be my pleasure..."_

In another location, several old men with pale, Caucasian skin are sitting around a big conference table in a big, vast room. They are all wearing uniforms similar to the troops with the red goggles, wearing high-ranking uniforms with badges on their chests, and with each man having a unique clothing style, only sharing their attire's color of red and black. One of the men standing up slams his fist through a hologram on the table, seething with anger as everyone else argue with each other.

_The soldier teleports at the end of the porter as he now appears to be heavily wounded. The soldier ignores the pain as he fires his machine gun rapidly at the two men, with one of them firing back at his stomach, "GAAGH!" The soldier drops his gun, collapsing onto his back, gasping for air as he then crawls backwards, with the doorway behind him opening up. The soldier stares at the men as he takes out his pistol, and weakly sits up and aims at them, but the pain has become too much for him to even aim properly. He puts pressure up against his stomach with his free hand, trying to recuperate as he then hears his enemies getting close. The soldier then looks at his hand, covered in blood. Seeing this, the soldier calms down, and takes a quick, deep breath. He then raises his head up to look at his adversaries and aims his gun to his temple._

_BANG!_

The battlefields are empty; the gunfire has ceased; silence engulfs the land. The battle between these two factions has ended for now.

Since leaving the Planet Earth to go to a world rich with resources centuries ago, companies have used their power to gain and control their lands, making habitable areas for people to live in, as well as creating new weapons and obtaining military power over the years. With tensions rising, and with the increase of unfair trade rates and civil disorder, the people under one company in particular moved to a nearby planet to get away from those that envied their power - those they despise - only for most of them to die under the planet's harsh weather conditions. But after 100 years, the newer generation had evolved their resistance against the world's atmosphere, some of them not needing gas masks that many need to survive. It was later on that this race grew a desire to destroy those that have shun them; to kill every single man, woman, and child that is not a part of them.

This is the Second Extrasolar War between these two factions: The Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, founded by the ruling government of Earth, the United Colonial Nations, comprised of soldiers whose sole mission is to defend civilians and colonies of the UCN from any threat; and The Helghan Empire, an autocratic governing body on planet Helghan, with a powerful, merciless military force that will kill anyone without a second thought, and with a fascist ideology that only those with a strong commitment to the cause may live to see their 'lesser' human beings fall beneath their feet. Rather than resources, the ISA and the Helghast have only traded in their lead, blood, and lives, over the years, with no sign of it stopping soon, especially today as the Helghast have lost something far greater than the battle.

The sun sets as in the middle of the wastelands of Helghan lies the planet's capital, Phyruss, a once big city where Helgan's military was at its finest. The city is now in ruins in the aftermath of being in the center of Helghast's recent battle against the ISA, many soldiers dead from both factions, as well as most of the civilians that lived there.

Up on the mountain tops behind the city lies an enormous palace of the Founder and Autarch of the Helghast - Scolar Visari - a vicious man that brought his people together, making them strong and prideful, giving them the desire for revenge against the likes of the UCN for their defeat in the First Extrasolar War. The palace is massive, having a huge courtyard in the front that has a few statues of Visari, several stairways, plants, and barricades. After an intense battle against the ISA forces, the Visari Palace grounds is filled with bodies of ISA and Helghast soldiers, with blood and bits smeared all over.

A transport cruiser hovers over the courtyard as its doors slide open, allowing several Helghast troops to descend to the ground via rope. Armed with their machine guns, the Helghast soldiers slowly go to the palace, avoiding the bodies while keeping their eyes open for any surprise attacks. The soldiers keep their heads low, approaching the front doors to the palace. They hide behind several barricades as one of them communicates into their communicator.

"The courtyard is secure." He said with a low, distorted voice made from his mask, "We are in front of the palace, awaiting for further instruction."

"Go inside and make sure the halls are secure." An angry voice replied from the soldier's helmet, "Once you do, Team A will go in the Autarch's room from the driveway. I expect you to be there with them by the time I get there."

"Understood." The soldier then hand gestures his comrades, who nod as they then walk around the barricades and approach the front doors. One of the soldiers to the right slowly open the door while his companions cautiously raise their weapons. They slowly walk inside the palace hallway in a line formation, walking along a red carpet with lit torches along the walls. They walk up the staircase and walk through the doors in front of them as they enter the palace's central hall.

The central hall is a vast area of the palace, having a big statue of Scolar Visari having one knee over a rock and looking up at the sky with his left hand raised into the air. The floor has big black tiles with thick white borders around it, with a few barricades near the statue, and the hall also having a second floor balcony encompassing the sides and the back of the hall, having a few columns in between the handrails. In the center section of the ceiling are skylights lined up in three rows, with the outer sections having red banners hanging from them. Multiple torches can be seen on the walls, as well as several weapon hangers near the doorways. The central hall has been ravaged by a fierce battle as debris and many corpses of Helghast soldiers can be seen all over the place, with fire burning certain areas, mostly caused by the destroyed ship near the left stairwell to the balcony. The soldiers walk into the hall, looking at their fallen comrades while walking around them.

"Those ISA bastards!" One of the soldiers said infuriated, gripping his machine gun harder than before. The soldiers split up as they search around the halls for anything suspicious, trying to remain calm in their search as they continue to walk around even more bodies. One of the soldiers walk halfway up the staircase, getting a better view of the hall as he then puts his hand against the side of his helmet.

"The front palace is secure. You are free to move in, Team A." The soldier said as calm as he could.

"Roger!" Team A leader replied before cutting off communications.

The soldier puts his hand down as he looks over to his team mates, "Let's go! Anybody not in the Sanctum will be shot!" The other soldiers regroup in a hurry as the soldier then walks up the stairs and heads to the hallway to the Autarch's Sanctum, but stops immediately upon seeing another dead soldier near the hallway. The soldier freezes as his team mates run up the stairs and also see the corpse. They gaze at the body in dismay, completely stunned just by looking at it. "C-Colonel?" The soldier gets on his knees, losing all composure he tried to maintain since the start of the mission.

Meanwhile, on a driveway next to the end of the palace, several Helghast soldiers rush into Sanctum through the huge, open doorway. A few soldiers remain outside as they see an armored vehicle come in along the driveway, and park in front of the Sanctum.

The vehicle's passenger doors open upwards as a high-ranking Helghast officer steps out, cautiously looking at his surroundings. He is a little taller than his soldiers, being in his early 40s, having pale skin, a shaved head, a red nose, a long scar diagonally downward across his left cheek, and a thick black moustache. He wears a dark grey overcoat over his military uniform, having black, puffy fur along the neck collar, his shoulders, his wrists, and upper back; red streaks in between the fur on his shoulders; 12 coat buttons on the bottom center, having six on each side; dark grey gloves, and military boots, having metal greaves go up to his knees. He is the Admiral of Helghast's military, a patriot devoted to the Helghan's cause - Orlock.

"Walk with me!" Orlock commands his troops as he speed walks to the Sanctum with his soldiers following him beside him, "Has there been any news regarding the ISA's whereabouts?"

"We have our men searching every corner in Pyruss." A soldier to Orlock's right replied, "If we don't find them there, we'll spread our search out in the capital's vicinity."

"They couldn't have gone far! Check the town twice if you have to; don't stop the search until you find every single one of them alive or dead!"

Orlock and his men hurry up the stairs as they then enter the Autarch's Sanctum. The Sanctum is a large, circular room, with two small set of staircases on opposite ends, leading up to a inner balcony, which has a desk with various books and documents, shined over by the sun light through the large windows behind it. Several soldiers are around the center of the Sanctum, which bears the Helghast Triad, the Helghast's symbol depicting three arrows pointing away from each other in shape of a 'Y', representing the three Helghast virtues: Duty, Obedience, and Loyalty.

Orlock walks in, and moves his men to the side as he grits his teeth in anguish upon seeing the Helghast's leader, Scolar Visari - a pale skinned, bald man with baggy eyes, wearing a dark-grey cloak with his red uniform underneath, and having small red Helghast streaks handing from the bottom of his neck collar - dead in the center of the sanctum. The soldiers are just as upset as Orlock, who slowly walks over and kneels over Visari's side. Orlock looks at the Visari's bullet wound in his gut, slowly switching his gaze to Visari's face, seeing him lifeless with his mouth opened, blood streaming down from his chin.

Everyone in the room is consumed by a variety of emotions, mostly rage for the men that took their savior. Orlock clenches his hands into fists and stands up, "What are you standing around for!? Search the area, there may be clues here to find these monsters!" Most of the soldiers regain their composure as they split up to search different parts of the Sanctum, some of them sadly staring at Visari's corpse before doing the same. Orlock looks around as he then looks even more agitated, "Where is Team B!? I told them to meet us here!" Orlock speed walks to the inner halls, walking past a few corpses along the way as they see Team B between the inner and central hallways. He is about to yell at them, but stops as his eyes widen upon seeing the corpse they are mourning over.

"N-No! Colonel! This can't be happening!" A soldier of Team B cried out on his knees, holding the upper body of a dead soldier on his lap and arms.

The dead soldier used to be a Colonel of the Helghast Military, being roughly around 6'5" ft/1.95 m tall, wearing a similar mask other soldiers wear. He wears a decorative, high-ranking uniform, consisting of a colonel-ranked helmet, which has wires on the back connected to a small ventilation device on the back of his waist on his dark-grey armored vest, also connected with a breathing tube from his mask; silver shoulder pads, having his left shoulder pad have an inner pad sticking out slightly from the side, and all shoulder pads have engravings of an eagle on top of Helghast Triad symbol; gloves with black bracers over his dark-grey undergarments, which has a black strip with thinner white strips on the side; a holster for his gun; baggy pants with metal grieves around his military boots; and is wearing a red armband around his right shoulder and a badge on the right side of his chest, both depicting the Helgast Triad symbol. He was the finest of Helghast's soldiers; the most feared man for ally and enemy alike - Mael Radec.

The soldiers continue to grieve over Radec's corpse, with Orlock then walking away. Orlock goes back to the Sanctum, seeing his soldiers still searching the place with less enthusiasm, stressed by the loss of their companions and leader. Orlock walks over to Visari's body, completely distraught by the whole affair. He then looks over to his left, seeing a big cut out of a Helghast soldier with his arm held high, with smaller soldiers beneath marching along the battlefield, one of them waving the Helghast flag. Orlock's eyes lights as he walks over to the cut out, gazing at it with awe.

"... We've won." Orlock said, closing his eyes with a sneer, "They thought they can kill us with the death of our leader; they think they can ruin us by stepping on our pride!" Orlock then turns towards his men, "But the only thing they've accomplished is showing how scared they are of us! They proved to us how weak they are by mercilessly killing the Autarch! They knew he wouldn't submit to their will, and they knew they couldn't have taken him away from us because they would have all died trying!" The soldiers watch Orlock walk over to Visari's corpse with his hands raised in front of his chest, "Scolar Visari... knew this day would come. He has given us more than what we could have gained by ourselves, and now, we must pay him back. Visari may be gone, but his spirit is forever with us!" Orlock then raises his fist in the air, "The people of Earth, the UCN, the ISA scum, they will all learn from this day forth, that the Helghast will never concede to their cowardly actions! We will show them that by end of this war, we will be victorious! Long live Helghast!"

The Helghast soldiers roar with pride, raising their fists in the air with glory. Their spirits have been fired up by Orlock's words, remembering that the war is still far from over. Visari's death has made them more passionate in killing their enemies now than ever before, eagerly anticipating for the next battle to come.

All the soldiers continue roar with their arms raised, as well as Team B, hearing Orlock's speech from the hallways. The roar echoes throughout the palace as the sun light reflects from Radec's red goggle lens.

**^ O X []**

Blood spreads itself throughout the center of the ground, covering a portion of a mural of an eagle with its red substance. The mural is one of the few designs that remains intact in the Land of the Gods; the land of Mount Olympus. The mountain, as well as the entire world, is in ruin. The land swallowed by the monstrous oceans; the spirits of the dead roaming among the mortal realm; the pestilence of a deadly swarm of flies killing off every speck of life within its reach; the flora of the world withered into nothingness; the sun almost completely blocked by black clouds, shooting lightning bolts down at the oceans and the lands above them; almost everything that made this world alive is now gone.

Mount Olympus isn't any different from the world's current predicament; once the home to the Olympians, the Gods of this world, is now equally as destroyed as the world around it. For thousands of years, Mount Olympus stood tall since the birth of this planet, being the the highest mountain in all of Greece. The Titans were the first beings to live in the grand mountain, but were overthrown by the Gods after the Titanomachy, and the Gods have ruled over the mortals upon Olympus ever since.

Now, after the Second Titanomachy, neither God nor Titan won in their endeavors as both sides have been slain mercilessly and viciously. Most of the mansions, cities, and landscapes on Mount Olympus have been destroyed, mostly from within the mountain's own structure. Olympus, once a great and powerful land that inhabited the Gods, is dead like everything else around it.

On the peak of Mount Olympus lies the battle arena, nearly destroyed by the chaos wrought by the Second Titanomachy. The arena consists of two rock-sided pieces in shape of wings of an eagle, with one side destroyed from the destruction, and at the far end is a small staircase to an empty throne area with two big torches on each side. On the center lies the mural of an eagle mentioned previously, with a puddle of blood in the bottom center. Downward from the puddle is a trail of blood, heading over the edge of the cliff. As blood slowly drips off the cliff, a small blue orb gently descends past it, with thousands more raining all over the land. The orb then lands and sticks onto the cliff-side, as a few seconds later, a white, dirty hand places its palm over it.

On a small, rocky path, circling down from the mountain's peak is a gravely injured man, leaning over the rocky wall, weakly regaining his breath as he is bleeding profusely from his back and stomach.

"Guugh-erughhh!" the man grunts in sheer pain, taking a breather after climbing down onto the path. He is tall, bare-chested, muscular man, standing in 6'5" ft/1.95 m tall, having a goatee, a scar over his right eye, and a red tattoo covering the majority of the left side of his upper body, head, and face. He wears a big red and gold loincloth, bronze greaves, brown bracers and sandles. A Spartan once filled with anger, killing anyone and everything that dares upset him, and will do anything to end the pain he has endured for so long - Kratos.

Kratos breathes in slowly as he then winces in pain, applying more pressure on his wound with his left arm. "Grrgg... ughh... Hmph!" Kratos endures the pain as he then limps forward a few steps. He abruptly stops, collapsing on the wall with his right shoulder, moving his right arm over his left to apply more pressure onto his wound. Kratos has lived in pain for many years, but not even he could withstand the damage he currently sustains. Kratos breathes slowly once again as he then glances over to the chaotic view beside him. He stares heavily at the relentless whirlwinds souring across the dreaded ocean, carrying water, debris, and corpses in its current to no end. Kratos' expression lightens, feeling even worse than he does now. He looks down on the ground with gritted teeth, but stops upon noticing a glow within his right palm. Kratos raises his right hand and stares at the small orb on his palm, feeling its warmth and comforting presence, a contrast to everything that's happening to him around him. The light shines dimly over Kratos' face, which now looks more calm and composed.

Kratos closes his eyes and clenches his hand into a fist, grasping tightly to the orb as it fades out. He opens his hand to see the orb gone, but the warmth remains as if it is still there. The Spartan takes a deep breath, and with a determined look, he endures the pain as he then continues to walk down the path.

Minutes go by, with Kratos limping a full circle down the peak, still having ways to go before reaching to the bottom of the path. He maintains his composure, not taking a single break since he last touched the orb. "Errgh..." Kratos' eyelids grow heavy, as inspite of having the mindset to march on, his body is starting to give out. Kratos' vision begins to blur as he then slows down, agitated that he'll have to take another break soon. Before he does, however, he sees a small cave alongside the path, recently made from the destruction of Mount Olympus. Kratos limps towards the cave, using his right shoulder to edge himself inside. The cave is small, dark, and humid within as Kratos nearly stumbles onto his knee from the rocky floor. The Spartan shakes his head, maintaining the strength he has left as he then reaches the end of the cave, and sits down on a rock formation on the bottom corner of the wall.

"Tsk!" Kratos raises his head up in exhaustion, bumping the back of his head on the wall, hard enough to leave a small crack on its structure. The Spartan breathes heavily as he slowly adjusts his back against the wall more comfortably, with his wound bleeding all over the center of the rock he's on. He looks at his blood, feeling a little more dazed than before as he then looks outside the cave with squinted eyes, with the exit being several feet away. From his point of view, the orbs continue to rain down from the dark, clouded skies, with some of their light shining into the cave as they pass by. Kratos stares at the lights outside for a while longer as he then looks away and lowers his head, breathing slower than before as his eyes then close.

The cave is now quiet, with Kratos not having the strength to move as much, let alone say anything. His body is starting to go numb, not feeling the pain and ache its supposed to. The fatal wound has finally started taking its toll on the Ghost of Sparta, who is no stranger to pain, or situations like he is in. After being tricked into killing his family, and having the ashes of his wife and child fused into his skin, Kratos tried everything to end his despair. From killing the God that tricked him, killing the rest of the Gods that betrayed him, and to nearly losing his sanity in general, it has been an endless nightmare for this lone warrior. But after all that is set and done, Kratos may have finally find the peace he has yearned for.

After a moment of silence, Kratos slightly raises his head, feeling weak and light-headed as he takes his right arm off his left, and looks down at his palm. The Spartan sadly looks at his dirty and bloody hand as he closes his eyes strongly to stay conscious and opens his eyes to see his surroundings.

Kratos is now in the middle of a beautiful meadow, sitting down on the grass up against a tree, hearing the wind whistling by the tree's branches, with birds chirping in the background. Kratos looks at his hand again, slowly trailing off to look at the rest of his body as he now looks uninjured and clean, seeing that he doesn't have his family's ashes on his skin any more. He is now seen in his tan skin color, wearing similar garments he wore previously. A melody can then be heard close by, catching Kratos' attention as his head perks up upon hearing it. He looks at his surroundings, and sees a little girl, playing a melody with her wooden flute on a stone path to a small house nearby. Kratos' eyes widen in shock, recognizing the girl to be his daughter. So many emotions run through Kratos' head, but ends up not saying anything. Instead, Kratos looks away and sees that he's holding a shiv with his left hand and a small blade with his right. Without a second thought, the Spartan begins to sharpen his blade, relaxing as if everything that happened to him never occurred.

A beautiful woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue dress and white gown, comes out of the house, carrying a golden torso armor Spartans usually wear for combat. She approaches Kratos, who smiles upon noticing her as his wife. "Here you go, Kratos. May it serve you well." The woman said as she kneels down and gives Kratos his polished armor. Kratos puts down his shiv and knife, grabbing the armor as he looks at his reflection silently. His wife stares at him, with her smile fading away, thinking about what her husband will do once he leaves home again. Kratos looks at his wife, who quickly smiles back as she then places her hand on Kratos' cheek.

"I know that you must go... and I know we've been through this before, but I want you to be safe. Whatever happens out there, always remember that we'll always be by your side." She tilts her sideways, "Promise us you'll be back... that's all I ask."

Kratos places his hand over his wife's hand, feeling a warm and comforting sensation in his heart. At the same time, the Spartan also felt a little jolt of adrenaline, knowing full well that in a few short hours, he will kill as many people as he can to assure the safety of those he cares for. Kratos smile disappears the moment he thinks about that, not surprising his wife, who has grown accustomed to this behavior for years.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Suddenly, Kratos' daughter rushes over to him and his wife, full of happiness as she leans over to her father, "Look, father! I've just come up with another melody! Please stay a little longer so you can hear it!"

The girl gets down on her knees, and plays a melody with her flute, which slowly soothes the tension between Kratos and his wife. The Spartan is in awe as he then smiles, completely forgetting about his duty in the near future. His wife sighs in relief as she then smiles upon seeing Kratos in a better mood. She sits next to Kratos, laying her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his stomach. Kratos puts his left arm over his wife's arm in response, welcoming the embrace as the two listen on to their daughter's melody. The Spartan caresses her daughter around her chin with his right hand. The girl's eyes open, smiling at her father as she nearly misses a note upon the comfort. She closes her eyes again, concentrating on the melody, which rings into the ears of her parents, basking in the wonderful tune. Kratos brings his hand back, looking over to his wife to speak with her.

BRZZT!

A deafening sound of a lightning bolt nearby lights up the cave for a second, bringing Kratos back to the dreaded reality before him. He looks at his hand in front of him, dirty and bloody, and looks down on his wound, bleeding all over his left arm and the fragment he's sitting on. Kratos is in shock, realizing that the first joyous moment he has had in years was nothing but a figment of his imagination. Kratos stomps his hand on the rock underneath him, not having the strength to do more as he could feel his energy leaving him. He sweats rapidly with closed eyes, groggily raising his head to look up at the ceiling.

"I'm done..." Kratos muttered under his breath, "Lysandra... Calliope... what more do I..."

With one big sigh, Kratos' head falls forward, loosing the energy to stay concious as the back of his right hand lifelessly drops onto the rock.

**^ O X []**

A pink flower moves slightly by a gust of wind, being held down by a pair of hands of a lifeless woman over her stomach. In the middle of a vast ocean covered in a heavenly mist, lies a small boat with a lantern on one end pushing the mist away. In the boat is the body of a warrior resting eternally in her bed of pink roses.

She was a beautiful woman of Asian decent, having a slight tan skin color, and long flowing red hair covering over most of the roses on one half of the boat. She wears white garments covering a few parts of her body, revealing most of her right shoulder, legs, and thigh areas. The garments around her chest have a thick purple lining going diagonally across her breasts and several cloths of the same color around her abdomen. Around her waist, over her undergarment, is a brown leather belt with a long golden buckle containing the purple armor plate over her left hip, with a long grey cloth hanging from underneath. She has a long white sleeve with a purple lining on the end around her left arm; a golden bangle around her right arm, with a thinner bangle around her left leg above her knee; a pair of brown strap-like gloves; white leggings with thick purple stripes on both ends around her lower legs, and brown ancient combat sandals with socks underneath. She lived her entire life cursed by those around her, but saved many lives by bearing the tool that has cursed the world - Nariko.

Nariko's boat continues to wander along the mysterious waters, with some of the roses drifting along the surface of the ocean.

**Meanwhile...**

On an elevated stone path, high above the shore, there are several people lined up, holding roses up against their chests. Many people have gathered in the path, with the remaining watching from afar, standing on rooftops, wooden platforms, and on the walkways on a huge, dense wall far in the distance. In the end of the path lies a small shrine, with several bouquets of pink roses in front of its doorstep, glistening from the lit torches on each side. One of the people - wearing a purple cat-ear hat, a grey garb and has white face pain below his eyes - puts a flower down in front of the doorsteps in the center of the rest of them. He gets up, looking down at the flowers with a sad expression. A hand then pats the man on the shoulder, which startles the man as looks over to his left to see another man slightly older than him, smiling softly at him. The man nods gently as he then walks back to the others on the stone path, leaving the older man standing before them.

He wears similar clothing his people wear, with the inclusion of red bangles around his forearms, and a thin red sash around his waist. He is of Asian descent appearing in his 50s, having a slightly tan skin color and long white hair tied in a knot. He is the leader of the clan that is both respected and infamous throughout the land; the man that burdens the task of keeping a dangerous weapon from those that seek power to this very day - Shen.

"Brothers! Sisters! It has been one year today since Nariko has defeated Bohan's army and stopped his reign of conquest for good." Shen said, looking at his people individually at a time, "Today, we commemorate Nariko for her efforts, her trials, her pain... everything she lived for. Since the day she was born, she was treated as an outcast... a curse to our kind. It wasn't until a year ago that I wish I could have treated her with care. I wish, that even though her hardships have paved the way for the clan's future, I truly regret not treating her as any other daughter with the love she deserves."

The clansmen stay silent, watching Shen close his eyes in grief for a few seconds. He then opens his teary eyes, "We must remember that regardless of how we feel about Nariko, she has given away her life not for the clan, not for the innocents, but for the few things she loved. We are here now thanks to her actions, which we don't deserve. Today, let us pay our respects to our savior; let us show our love for her! Let it be known in future generations that people are not curses; they're just regular people like you and me. Let us not hate each other using tales from the past, and make a future our children can be at peace!" The clansmen raise their arms in joy as Shen waves his hand towards the shrine behind him, "It is within our debt to pay her back! Join me, everyone! Let's pray for Nariko until we exhaust every fiber of our being!"

The people then bow down on their knees as Shen turns towards the shrine to do the same. He puts his hands together and bows his head, silently commemorating her daughter's name in his head. Everyone in the land did the same, not saying a word to each other as time goes by quickly. For many years, this clan has protected a weapon - left by a heavenly warrior that saved the world from evil - from those who seek power. Before their time, many warriors have fallen prey by the heavenly sword, as well as those who wielded it. Nariko, thought to be the warrior to save the clan from their burden, was shunned by her people for being born a woman instead of a man as the prophecy foretold. In the end of her life, she has proved them wrong, but she only did it for her own accord, knowing full well that she wasn't sent from heaven, nor is the bloodthirsty sword.

The clan resides peacefully here in a small fortress, residing near the ocean and high mountains. In the front of the fortress is a huge white wall in the center of two huge cliffs that are more than twice its size. On the cliff walls are several wooden buildings, most of them having a different structure from another. On top of the fortress wall are three shrine-like lookout buildings to observe anyone approaching on the path few miles away. That path itself has a few barricades, as well as destroyed machinery and debris scattered around the path from the dreaded battle a year ago. Within the fortress is several houses and dojos, with many of the people that live their having the experience to fight off several blood-thirsty maniacs by themselves. It has been since the founding of the clan that they have been moving all over the land to escape those who seek the sword, but now that the worst of the bunch has been dealt with, they can finally have a place to call home.

Shen and the clansmen continue to pray for hours, as the sun begins to set over the horizon. With land red from the sun, Shen opens his eyes, slowly raising his head to look at the shrine. His body is stiff from not moving his body since noon, but he ignores it as he smiles before placing his hands over his upper legs. He slowly gets up, cracking parts of his body to relieve the stiffness as he then turns around to see nobody on the stone path. "Hmm..." Shen looks disappointed as he looks back at the shrine, "Sorry, Nariko... I don't think they are that committed yet." Upset, Shen walks away from the shrine. As he tried to relax, he notices something on the shore to his left. His mind is immediately set at ease as he smiles and walks away.

Down at the shore, a little farther away from the shrine, a girl in her teens is collecting a few rocks near the water. She is in her late teens, wearing a ragged blue skirt and top, with a white cloth strapped around her waist, having a long cloth sticking out from the back. She also wears a faded, torn red hat in shape of cat ears, having a set of jewellery in place around her head; a pair of black and blue strap-like gloves; worn sandals of the same colors reaching up to her lower legs; and has white face paint over the upper half of her face, with black stripes diagonally at the side of her eyes. She was the adoptive sister of Nariko, who she loved dearly. Nobody else in the clan has or will ever care about Nariko as much as she does - Kai.

"Twiddle twiddle twiddle dee dee..." Kai mutters to herself as she moves around the sandy shore in a cat-like manner, holding a few rocks with right arm. She picks one up on a muddy surface, inspecting it from every angle, "Too dirty!" Kai throws it away, and quickly grabs another rock nearby, "Hmm..." She tosses the rock over her shoulder as she then takes a few steps forward, and notices a rock between some bushes and bigger rocks. She rushes over to the rock, and picks it up, "Oh! Perfect!" With a smile on her face, Kai hurries over near a palm tree, and drops her rocks on the sand in front of her. She hums to herself as she draws a big square on the sand. Kai then groups the rocks in the top center of the square, making it look like a small rocky shrine. Kai inspects the rocks as she then takes out a rose from her cloth, and places it in front of the rock placement. Kai laughs happily as she then stands upright on her knees in the square and begins to pray. She mutters a few words out loud, praying in her own unusual way.

Shen then appears on the shore, and sees Kai praying. He smiles as he quietly approaches her from behind. Kai's head perks upon hearing Shen come close, but continues to mumble on as Shen stood a few feet from her.

"I thought I'd see you here on-"

"Shh!" Kai interrupts Shen and continues to mumble her prayer out loud. Shen stays quiet, waiting for her to finish while hearing the nice sound of the tides and wind shaking the leaves of the palm tree. Kai bows her head quietly and roughly places her hands over her knees, catching Shen's attention.

"It's very rude to interrupt someone when they are praying." Kai said while looking at her assortment of rocks, "Especially when it's me praying for Nariko."

Shen laughs softly at the remark, "Ha ha ha! I know, I know. Please forgive me." Kai doesn't respond as Shen lets out a smile, "I know you come here every dawn for Nariko. I am a little surprised that you didn't show up during the ceremony. I figured you would have loved to see everyone pay their respects for Nariko together as a clan."

Kai shakes her head, "I don't care for ceremony. What they did today is not enough; Nariko deserves more recognition. They have no excuse to pray for her every day I like do. YOU don't have good excuse..."

Shen looks down upon hearing that, "... I know that." He then steps into the square with Kai, and sits next to her, wrapping his arms over his knees. They both stare at the red sun quietly, basking in the scenery quietly for a few seconds. "I... understand that I should do more - and I really want to. I want to have the same kind of love you have for my daughter. I just... I just don't think praying is enough. You're right; she deserves much better, but I don't feel like what we are doing is enough for any of us. If only we could see her again, then we can let her know about how we feel. If only she can see how much has changed around here and how people worship her now, not in an amount you and I have, of course, but at least it's something. Every day, I wish she can somehow come back to us. It is the only thing I desire in my life."

Kai looks down, touched by Shen's words. She blinks a few times, and looks at Shen with a sad look, "Do you believe that Nariko will come back to us?"

"I don't know. I want to think so." Shen then smiles as he looks at Kai, "I want to believe that she is looking over us right now, hearing everything we are saying. She knows we care about her." Shen then looks at the sun, with Kai doing the same shortly after, "And even if she isn't listening to us, or that she may even come back at all, the important thing is that we are keeping her name alive. No one is truly gone unless they are completely forgotten. She... will always be in our hearts."

Kai smiles widely as the two continue to watch the sun set halfway over the horizon.

**^ O X []**

Imagine a world where creativity reigns over the lands filled with sparkles and doodads just around the horizon. Picture every memory in mind, every little fragment of your imagination, jumble them all together, and make a jawbreaker full of wonders, filling your tastebuds with sweetness and delight, with the creation alone giving you the temptation to start the creative process all over again. This, my friends, is what life is all about.

Billions of people throughout different lands and cultures spend their time dreaming, wanting to share and expand their views among their peers. Their creative energy rises up along the cerebrum-umbilical cord that extends to the farthest regions of imagination, giving birth to the world we are in today. The world of LittleBigPlanet.

LittleBigPlanet, as its name spells out, is indeed a small planet, one of the many imaginespheres created by our own imagination, and one that looks to be made of the world we live in, but instead of sharp rocks and hot water, it is made out of soft yarn and stitched patches. However, this world is everything but small, as just like any other planet, it contains a vast amount of unique landscapes and creatures, many of which you can think of on the top of your head. Yes, our imagination alone is enough to create this world that while it may be out of our reach, we can forever tend to it with the love and care we have for our creativity. Among the many imaginespheres out there, Little Big Planet shines brightly of them all, having new creations come into light with each minute at minimum passing by. Mountains, oceans, villages, animals, even those little delicacies we eat every now and then, comes to life in this ever expanding world of imagination. Let us dive into the world of LittleBigPlanet, a home where you are always welcome.

The Gardens is one of the many creative lands of this world, being a gigantic yard filled with giant trees, fences, and the ever-so-terrifying-but-not-really garden gnomes. Far off from the yards is the forest, filled with many kinds of plants and wildlife. Many animals wander around this forest, with some flying across the trees like the round-shaped birds, and those swinging on vines like the big headed monkeys with google eyes, and let's not forget the animals that sleep in the water like the dreaded, but lazy, block-shaped alligators. And... ah yes, how can we forget our favorite little sack of joy.

On a wooden path with many tree branches hanging over its trail, a little happy boy of yarn appears, happily having a nice stroll around the forest. He stands relatively at 3.14" in/ 8 cm tall, and is a living doll of brown sackcloth, with stitches clearly visible at the front top of his head, a pair of black beady eyes, and a big white zipper on his chest. He is a creation not only full of fluff and stitches, but is also full of the love and kindness that can melt your heart - Sackboy.

Sackboy looks at his surroundings with his usual big smile with his tongue sticking out on the side, gazing at the wonders this world has created. Sackboy is a very special kind of creation; nothing brings him more joy than to help give shape to the creative energy this planet receives. Whenever something is wrong or out of place, Sackboy is there to patch things up, and not let a single drop of imagination go to ruin. This little ball of stuffing is no stranger to danger, having gone through dangerous tasks into keeping the creative flow going, and stopping those who want to take all that energy for themselves. Yes, all Sackboy wants in life is to have all kinds of creativity mingle in peace.

The little boy of stuffing continues to look around, but his expression changes upon seeing something ahead. Sackboy rushes over to a poor bird, crying on the path as its tears creates puddles of water around itself. Sackboy grows sad upon seeing this as he scratches his head in wonder. He then smiles again and brings out his popit menu - a blue holographic menu that remains stationary in mid-air, with a blue lasso attached to it that Sackboy uses to interact with it. Sackboy highlights the cursor over the sticker section, and selects a shoe sticker, changing the popit menu into the selected sticker. Sackboy then sticks part of the sticker onto the wings of the bird, which stops crying shortly afterwards. It watches Sackboy quietly, watching him color its wings with bright colors from various stickers. In just a few minutes later, the bird's wings are multi-colored, bringing in the joy into the little avian's heart, for all he wanted was to stand out from the rest of its flock.

The bird flaps its wings in joy as it then flies away. Sackboy waves the bird goodbye, happy to have done a good deed for someone in need. Sackboy then resumes his stroll along the path, entering to a land of multiple paths and branches. He spots a family nearby a cardboard cut out of a farm. The family is tired and drained, with the father raking the leaves with little effort, while his wife is tending to her cow sticking its head out of the barn, and his daughter just sitting on a haystack, wanting to go to sleep. Sackboy tilts his head with a frown, sad just looking at this display. He gazes at the farm, which doesn't even have any color on it. Sackboy quickly smiles, knowing exactly what to do as he brings out his popit menu again.

A few moments later, the farm is colored, and the family, including the cow, jump up and down with joy, as they then wave goodbye to Sackboy, who continues his way while happily waving back. Sackboy wipes his imaginary sweat off his brow and looks on, but once again immediately stops upon seeing a group of large bears in the way, sitting next to each with the droopiest of facial expressions. Already thinking ahead, Sackboy brings out his popit menu again, and clicks on the costume section. Moments later, Sackboy is fully dressed as a bear, dancing with a top hat and a cane in front of the bears, whom quickly laugh their hearts out at the performance. The bears then walk away in laughter, one of them of tearing up uncontrollably. Sackboy takes off his bear costume and garments, catching his breath from dancing so much, as he then lifts his arms to his right side, and turns towards the open path to resume his walk, but something catches his attention yet again.

This time, an army of ants with green leaves were blocking the road, as they are too afraid to cross a gentle river in front of them. Sackboy walks amongst the ants to see the situation, and looks towards his left to see a pile of big blocks piled up on the side of the path. Sackboy lowers his head as he knows what he has to do. After 30 minutes of going back and forth with one block at time, Sackboy gives one more big push on his last block, falling forward on his chest as the block falls neatly in front of the path at the other side of the river, completing a bridge of floating blocks for the ants to cross over. The ants happily walk across the bridge with their leaves held high, with some of them walking over Sackboy's tired and motionless body.

After the ants left, Sackboy raises head up in exhaustion, and slowly gets back up on his toe-less feet. He brushes the dirt off his figure as someone then pokes him on the shoulder. The boy of cloth turns around to see the little girl of the farming family, holding a small bouquet of flowers. The little girl asks Sackboy if he can help her get more flowers for her. Seeing that on the path ahead has a few flowers growing beside it, Sackboy smiles with an open as he goes over to the flowers, and picks one up for the girl. He goes over to the girl, who raises her hand to stop him as she shakes her head and points to another flower behind Sackboy. Sackboy happily turns around, but his jaw quickly drops in worry upon seeing the flower's location.

A few seconds later, Sackboy is seen swinging across a long vine with a horrified expression as below lies a poisonous swamp that has a few crocodiles snapping their jaws at the poor boy with each swing he takes. Across the swamp is a single velvet flower, bathing in the sunlight on a small high platform. Moving back and forth uncontrollably, Sackboy snatches the flower off the platform with his legs, and swiftly swings across the swamp once more, with the crocodiles jumping after him. Sackboy furrows his mouth in horror as the crocodiles misses him as they fall into the swamp behind him. Sackboy then jumps off the vine, with the momentum sending him soaring across a pitfall as he then lands on the pathway with his face, skidding forward a few feet before stopping a few inches in front of the girl. The girl looks at Sackboy with a concerned look as Sackboy, without raising his face from the floor, raises his hand with the flower intact. The girl claps her hands in joy as she takes the flower and scurries over to the grass nearby.

Sackboy raises his head as he looks exhausted from all the hard work. He sits up with his legs spread out and his hands on the ground beside him, looking downward, tired and sad. Sackboy has worked very hard today, but feels rather empty inside. Were the good deeds he has done today worth it in the end? Sackboy looks up as he sees a flock of birds, the farm family, the laughing bears, and the leaf-holding ants approach him up close. Sackboy looks puzzled as the girl then comes back holding a flower crown, with the big flower Sackboy gave her being on the top center, and places the crown over Sackboy's head, which tilts downward upon getting the crown put on.

Sackboy raises his head up with a big smile on his face as he is now riding on the bird with colored wings, flying across the air and trees along with the flock. The bears run with the birds at the same speed on ground, and the ants are on top of rocks on the sides, using their leaves to make big signs of Sackboy waving on one side, and signs that say 'Thank you!" on the other. The farm family brought their relatives to cheer for Sackboy on the side in front of the ants. Sackboy waves at them as he flies by, waving at the little girl, who happily waves back. Sackboy's efforts into keeping LittleBigPlanet a great place for creations isn't for instant gratification for himself, but for those in need. Of course, just like a boomerang, sharing your kindness to others will have them sharing in return.

Yes - at the end of the day, it is all worth it. Sackboy and the creatures he has helped today have shared their kindness with one another, just like all of the residents of this world, including every one of us here in our world with our love for our dreams, do on a daily basis. Sharing is caring; those are words to live by here in LittleBigPlanet.

Sackboy's parade continues on as the bears vigorously run across a pond, which creates multiple waves before slowly regaining its calm flat surface after the bears run off.

**^ O X []**

The Atlantic Ocean is calm at this quiet night, as there nothing in the sky but a bright full moon, shining its rays down on the water's surface, which reflects it back to brighten the area. There is not single speck of land for miles in this part of the ocean, nothing but a big grey lighthouse on a small rocky island. The lighthouse is adorned with line markings on each side of its hexagon shape structure, and on top lies an art deco angel statue holding the tower's light emitter high overhead. There are two sets of staircases that goes a little underways into the water that lead up to a big bronze door, with several lamps on the hand rails near the entrance. Emblazoned on the door is an angel posing similarly to the statue on top, and over the door is a big bronze emblem of a city.

The city itself is nowhere to be seen on the Atlantic Ocean, but it is close by. In fact, the lighthouse is the closest place to the town, just above it to be precise. The winds begin to blow, creating small tides on the ocean floor. Deep inside the ocean, fish can be seen swimming around a few coral reefs on several rock formations of the lighthouse's island. It gets darker deeper into the ocean, where different kinds of fish can be barely seen. It gets even darker and colder under the ocean floor to the point you can't even see your hands in front of your face. After 6561 ft/2000 m into the ocean floor, a dim light can be seen down below, which glows even brighter the deeper you go. In the middle of underwater mountains, lies the very place very few know of its existence. This is a place made into a reality by a man that dreamed of a land where men are free to make their own choices, not hindered by those dependent on their success. This is a city that is a haven from the tyranny of the world above, doomed to extinction by their parasitic nature.

This is Rapture!

Above an underwater mountain is a grand luminous city, filled with independent achievers and geniuses alike. Many buildings of different shape and sizes exist in this town, with many neon billboards advertising products such as cigars and 'plasmids' here and there. Just like the lighthouse, all of the buildings are made in an art deco style, with frames of aluminium to keep them from rusting, and are interconnected with tubes for citizens to traverse in. Everything is powered by underwater volcanoes the buildings are anchored over as many of the buildings' lights are on, illuminating a major portion of the underwater surface around them, as well as several spotlights shining their lights onto buildings from further below. All of the people that were invited to live here are geniuses in their own right, making a living of creating businesses they have always dreamed about, but couldn't do so in the surface world. Those that strive to work hard for themselves are set for life in this underwater paradise.

It has been two decades since this city was made in 1948, and today, it still stands bright as ever. On the outside, a whale slowly swims through a few buildings, casting a shadow over a blue cocktail sitting lonely on a circular desk near the large windows. The whale swims away as light shines into the room, revealing that the desk is partially covered in blood. Close to the desk is a corpse of a woman with a bunny mask on sitting on a table, with her head thrown back and a rusty crowbar lodged into her bloody throat. In one of the many business locations of Rapture, Worley Winery, the restaurant and bar is a complete wreck, with blood smeared on the floor, tables and desks flipped over, cash registers looted, and water leaking into the distillery on the lower floor. There a few corpses lying around as well, dead by gunshots and blunt objects. This place is a mere example of what happened to Rapture after years since its foundation.

After a civil war, years in the making by internal conflict amongst peers, most of the population have gone insane, killing each other left and right, and destroying anything they come across with. The whole city became a war zone, with the very few sane people left trying to stay alive, some trying to take control of the city themselves. Some of the buildings can be seen lying on their sides, sunken by the destruction from the within, as well as a humongous building lying in the center of the city. Rapture is now a coffin for the few people that remain here, living out the rest of their days with impossible desires.

In one of the few intact, but unmaintained locations of Rapture is Fort Frolic; where the residents could unwind after a hard day's work, taking in the sight of decorated neon signs, checker board floor tiles, and torchere columns wherever they go. On the upper floors of one of the sections of Fort Frolic, the Poseidon Mall, lies Eve's Garden, a place where a man can drink to their heart's content, spending some time with the 'company' provided for them.

The automatic doors of the club open up as a small girl of eight years old, standing around 4 ft/1.21 m tall, with glowing yellow eyes, pale skin and black hair tied in a bun, wearing a dirty purple dress with short puffy sleeves ending above her biceps; two set of three white buttons in a vertical line side by side far apart in the upper front portion of her dress; a white thin cloth around her waist; and a skirt reaching down to her knees. She is one of the many girls genetically altered and mentally conditioned to do one sole task without question. A sweet little girl, hoping to find another angel to harvest - Little Sister.

"Licorice isn't fried, it's pulled like taffy. Licorice isn't fried, it's-it's pulled like taffy." Little Sister sings softly in her distorted voice, hopping on one foot playfully on the damaged floor tiles. With all the damaged structures around her, the girl is not bothered by any of it. Instead, she couldn't be any happier as from her point of view, she sees rosy marble floors, pink and red drapings, and flowering vines growing everywhere. Her mind prevents her from seeing the harsh reality before her as she is clouded by her child-like fantasies. "La-la-la-la. Licorice isn't fried, it's-ah!" the Little Sister trips over a crack on a tile, falling on the floor. Her brief moment of discomfort brought her mind back to reality as she looks up to see the destroyed structure around her. And yet, looking at the destruction, the Little Sister looks on with a stoic expression. A few seconds pass as her mind brings her back to her imaginative state, bringing back her joyous expression as she then gets up and continues to hop on each tile as if nothing happened.

The floor then shakes a little with each second as a hulking figure comes out of Eve's Garden, following the Little Sister from behind. The light from the windows only reveal part of the figure's lower portion, clad in a suit of some kind. "Mmmmmuurrrrrrhhhh..." The figure utters slowly, emitting a sound similar to whale calls. Yellow light glows from his 'eyes', with two sets of three eyes in vertical lines close to each other side by side on the front center, and one eye on each center sides. Each step the figure takes shakes the ground a little bit, causing some dust to fall from the ceiling as it slowly catches up the Little Sister.

"Licorice isn't fried... it's pulled like taffy." The Little Sister finishes her song as she then yawns, "(yawns)... I'm getting sleepy, Mr. B." She said while rubbing her eye. The figure, 'Mr. B', remains silent as they reach toward the balconies on the upper floor. "Oh?" The little sister perks up as she notices a corpse next to handrail of one of the balconies with a decorative statue displayed in the center. "Oh! Look, Mr. B! It's an angel!" The Little Sister happily approaches the corpse while Mr. B looks on. The girl raises her extractor, comprised of a long needle, a hose nozzle, and a red baby bottle sticking on its end, and plunges the needle into the corpse's belly, extracting a glowing, light blue substance into the bottle. "Heh heh heh! This one has so much inside! So full of ADAM..."

Mr. B looks at the Little Sister harvesting the corpse as he then looks at his surroundings. He then walks into the right side of the north corridor on the upper level, leaving the girl by herself. As he left, the door to the casino to left of the Little Sister opens up, with two men peering over each side of the doorway. Both men are wearing dirty suits and bunny masks, revealing their deformed jaws. These men are splicers: people that took too much of a genetic-altering substance known as ADAM, causing their physical and mental state to deform. ADAM is one of the main factors Rapture is in its current state, having many people abuse it for their needs, only to become the monsters they are now.

"You see. I told ya there'd be one left!" The Thuggish Splicer on the left of the door said with his distorted voice.

"Yah, but that big f**k is with her, too." The other Thuggish Splicer hissed, "I ain't got the strength for this!"

"He's walking away. The freak has gone defective! You're not going to blow this for the rest us, twinkletoes!"

"Shut up! I may have gone weeks without ADAM, but I ain't stupid enough to risk my balls for that little brat."

"Just drag her over here, and that thing won't stand a chance. Get yer' ass movin' before I blow yer' brains out!"

The Thuggish Splicer glares at his companion as he then takes a look at the Little Sister. He drools as he glances over to his partner once more in annoyance, and slowly walks out of the casino. He slowly takes a few steps forward, taking a quick glance at Mr. B, who is walking farther and farther away on the corridor. "Heh! I suppose I was worried for nothin'." He said with a smirk as he looks back at the LIttle Sister, and approaches her. "Come here, you. I ain't gonna hurt ya." The Little Sister continues to harvest to corpse as if she hasn't noticed the Splicer at all. The Splicer grips hard on the wrench he has hiding behind his back, cooing at the Little Sister even more as he got closer, "Come on, now. Be a good girl, and give me the nice little slug you have inside you, you little - huh?" The Splicer looks to his left to see a vending machine fly right towards him from the left side of the north corridor.

CRAAAAAAAAAASSHHHH!

A vending machine crashes into the Thuggish Splicer with full force, killing him instantly as the weight of the machine slams him into the steps of a closed store "_Ha ha ha ha ha haaa!_" The vending machine with a plastic picture of a clown's face plays a recording and a jingle as the dead splicer's head bleeds over the machine, "_Fill your cravings with the Circus of Vaaaluuesss_ \- BRRZZTTT!" The machine short circuits as the second Thuggish Splicer comes out of the casino in horror.

"Oh s**t!" The splicer looks over towards the left side of the north corridor behind him, seeing Mr. B approach him with a closed fist.

The splicer nervously backs away, struggling to grab his crowbar from his back as Mr. B stops a few feet in front of him, getting light on him from the skylight at the end of the corridor. Mr. B is a hulking figure, standing in 7'0" ft/2.13 m tall, clad in a distinct dark-green heavy diving suit, with a light-brown, thick metal carapace covering his upper legs, knees, feet, biceps, and the entire torso. The head protrudes directly forward from the upper chest area, and is encased in a hemispherical helmet studded with eight lit portholes that turns out to be his 'eyes', with metal tubes encasing around its face for more protection. He also has a large, fully-functional, conical drill, attached to the right arm just forward of the elbow, powered by the internal combustion engine attached on his back. Men that opposed the Great Chain philosophy of Rapture are bound into these exoskeleton suits, forever to protect these little hosts of ADAM from the parasites that seek them out. It's every Protector's duty to keep Little Sisters safe, wanting nothing more than to stay by their side - Big Daddy.

The splicer breathes heavily as Big Daddy raises its torso, staring at the splicer while letting out a small grunt. The protector than raises his drill, which spins as the chemicals inside his body turn from yellow to red. "GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHH!"

"Plan B! Come out now! Plan B!" The splicer cried as he then manages to take out his crowbar, but Big Daddy rushes over him in a blink of an eye, and backhands him across the skull. "AGH!" The Splicer soars across the ground, dropping his weapon in the process as he tumbles into the corridor to Eve's Garden. A door to one of the shops of the corridor open as a Leadhead splicer comes out with a shotgun in hand.

"Eat lead, s**t-for-brains!" The Leadhead splicers as he opens fire at Big Daddy. The protector quickly raises his drill in front of his face, protecting his head from incoming fire as he charges forward at the splicer, running past the Little Sister, who continues to harvest without paying attention to the splicers. "Guah!" The splicer continues firing, but it doesn't stop Big Daddy, who then swings his drill across the splicer's neck, scraping the flesh out of the psychopath's bones, causing his blood to splurt out of his wound. "Ughh.." The splicer collapses as Big Daddy takes a step back, but is then immediately assaulted from a Spider Splicer from above.

"Ricky! You never call me any more!" Said the deranged splicer as she uses her hooks to claw Big Daddy's helmet, causing sparks to fly out. The Big Daddy staggers to the side as another Spider Splicer appears from the ceiling, landing on her feet and claws in front of the protector.

"Come on, big boy! Let's tango!" The second Spider splicer said as she charges at the big daddy while dragging her claws across the ground. Big Daddy bellows in fury as he grabs the splicer coming at him by the wrist and crushes her bones. "Aaahhh!" The Big Daddy then turns around quickly with the splicer, causing the one on top of him to lose her balance, giving the protector the chance to raise his drill into her chest.

"Guugh!" The splicer on top gags in her blood as Big Daddy then slams her down on her face. The other splicer tried to claw her way out Big Daddy's grip, but he quickly rams her into the wall, cracking it in the process. The splicer cries in pain as the protector then tosses her up against a column in the middle of the corridor, and stomps on her face with his foot to finish her off. A stick of dynamite then lands beside Big Daddy, who glares at it as its light burn its short fuse.

BOOM!

A fiery explosion erupts before Big Daddy, creating a dust cloud shortly afterwards. A Nitro Splicer, carrying his box of dynamite with one arm, takes a few steps forward from the casino, staring intently at the dust cloud slowly fading away.

"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!" the dust cloud spreads itself as Big Daddy, covered in soot, charges at the Nitro Splicer with great speed.

"God dammit!" The Nitro Splicer cried as he quickly lits a stick of dynamite and throws it in an arc, but Big Daddy gets close and punches the splicer square in the face, breaking his skull instantly. "Mmpgh!" Big Daddy then quickly turns around, seeing the dynamite was about to land close to the Little Sister. He extends his open palm forward, creating a gust of wind that blows the dynamite farther way, exploding on the Eve's Garden sign. A red cloud of molecules then appear behind Big Daddy, reforming on a Houdini Splicer to turn him visible. Big Daddy growls as he raises his drill and turns to attack the splicer, but the splicer counters by throwing a pale green globule into the protector's face, splattering his helmet with a green liquid substance. Big Daddy's portholes glow green as he stops itself, having the broad side of his drill inches away from the Houdini splicer's face.

"Tsk! As if sharing ADAM with those palookas was worth all this trouble." The Houdini Splicer mutters as he then leers over to Big Daddy, "On the plus side, having you kill them off for me means I get all the ADAM for myself! Heh heh heh!" The splicer than walks around Big Daddy as he lits his fingers on fire with a finger snap while approaching the unsuspecting Little Sister. "Now then, it's time to reap what I so-AGHH!"

"MMMRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUAAA!" Big Daddy's portholes are bright red again as he grasps the Houdini Splicer's head with great force. The splicer panics as with a flick of the wrist, Big Daddy snaps the splicer's neck, taking him out instantly. Big Daddy throws the splicer away as the Nitro Splicer from before is crawling towards his box of dynamite inside the casino, breathing weakly as his deformed nose and right eye bled profusely.

"Nnngeh.. I-k-ki.." The splicer grabs a stick of dynamite, but before he can use it, Big Daddy turns around and shoots a lightning bolt from his palm, hitting the box of dynamite in front of the splicer. "Ugaahh!"

KABOOOOM!

The first floor of the casino explodes as its doorway is engulfed with flames and rubble. The light of the flames reflects from Big Daddy's red portholes, staring at the destruction while exhaling deeply. The remaining Thuggish Splicer from before, still alive after getting backhanded across the skull, crawls away towards Eve's Garden, with blood dripping from his mouth.

"He... can use plasmids!" The splicers grunts in pain, "Gagh! And he can.. resist hypnosis... I.. get out of here..." the floor then shakes more violently with each second as Big Daddy then grabs the splicer from the ground. "Ngh! Nooo!" Big Daddy slams the splicer up against the wall, holding up from the ground by the neck. The splicer struggles weakly to break free, but to no avail, as he could only look at Big Daddy with a horrified expression, "Please.. PLEASE! I'M SORRY! I WON'T BOTHER HER ANYMORE!" Big Daddy then raises his drill as it starts to spin.

The splicer scream echoes throughout the whole mall, as well as the sound of the drill, drilling through the flesh of its victim. The Little Sister hums her song, not paying attention to the screams as she is just about finished harvesting the corpse. The screaming eventually stops, as the sound of the drill quiets down shortly afterwards. The Little Sister then gets up, and takes a sip out of the ADAM she extracted from the corpse, revitalizing her instantly.

"Oh! I feel much better!" The Little Sister said happily as she then turns to Big Daddy, who drops corpses of the splicers he killed in front of her. "Oh my! Look at all these angels!" Little Sister then goes and embraces Big Daddy by hugging his leg, "Thank you so much, Mr. B! I love you!" She giggles as she anxiously goes to one of the corpses and begins sticking her needle into them.

Big Daddy stares at the LIttle Sister, with his port holes turning green, groaning in content in seeing her happy. Rapture may be a utopian nightmare, filled with ghastly men and women that want to tear each other's throats, but at the end of the day, the bond of a sister and a father makes an everyday living a true paradise.

The Little Sister goes to harvest another corpse, stepping over a pamphlet depicting a housewife holding up a can of food saying 'Great taste come in small packages!'.

**^ O X []**

"'Sic Parvis Magna'... Greatness from small beginnings. It's a motto that I've always lived by, said by an old hero of mine, Sir Francis Drake. It was engraved on his silver ring, the one I've had for the majority of my life. I've come a long way since stealing that ring back at Cartagena, having multiple adventures around the world, meeting many people along the way, and having all those close calls that I lost count of. I never imagined how my life would be like back then have I not taken the chance to go out and uncover the secrets Francis Drake kept in his voyage. I'd probably could have been a regular thief, stealing change and leftovers from the 'rich', probably something even worse than that, something that might have ended up killing me then and there. But I'm just rambling on of the past; none of my 'what ifs' happened to me fortunately. My passion for finding treasure is what got me here. I won't pretend that it didn't get me into a lot of trouble with friends and crooks alike, but at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, I have no regrets being where I am now."

On a clear night, near the lonely beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there is a tall apartment complex just to the side of the beach, having other tall buildings adjacent to its right side and back. On one of the balconies of the middle floors of the building, the beautiful green forest mountain, the Two Brothers, can be seen way across the beach's shoreline, partially lighted by the full moon, as well as part of the city to the right of the mountain, and the quiet blue ocean to the left.

Inside the apartment of the balcony is a mid-sized room with white wallpaper with thin peach stripes, a white carpet floor, and a white ceiling with a ceiling fan, blowing air down with medium power. There is a large wooden cabinet on the south end near the front door on the south right corner; a round mirror hanging on the center of the right wall next to an open door on the upper right which leads into a clean bathroom; and a king-sized bed with wooden bed frames and white blankets, with the bed having two lamps on small drawers on each side and is up against the northern wall, which has a rectangular painting of Rio de Janeiro hanging on it.

There is a woman sleeping on the left side of the bed, covered in her blanket as part of her long blonde hair rests over it. She has her back facing towards the left side of the room, which has a small TV on the bottom left corner, and on the upper corner is a man resting his shoulder on the side of the glass door, being halfway in and out of the apartment and balcony.

A Caucasian man standing in 6'1" ft/1.85 m tall, with a tan skin tone, short and spiky dark brown hair, and green eyes. His face is square and angular, with a cleft-chin and squinty eyes, and has a five O' clock shadow. He is currently wearing a pair of dark blue boxers and nothing else, as he has a black booklet and pencil in hand, tapping the pencil's eraser on the booklet's front page deep in thought.

"I've been to many places since getting Drake's ring; I've done a lot of things to get to those places, pissed off a lot of jerks that followed me there, and left with a few cuts and bruises, escaping the complete destruction of said places (Not my fault. Honest!). I never seem to ask myself why I always get into these situations. It's like I said before, Sir Francis Drake's ring kept me going. Every clue I find that leads to an undiscovered land, any tidbits whatsoever, I pursue it. To me, adventuring is like eating; I have to do it or I'm dead. I didn't care if a bunch of jerks came after me and my friends, I am going to get what I'm looking for! Sure, there were times that I wanted to stop. Hell, I wanted to quit several times to things I thought I have grown used to by that point. It's pretty funny now that I'm writing this down; after so many years, I still don't know how my mind works. Sully always tells me I have my head in the clouds and my ass on the dirt whenever I make decisions and I always scoff it off. It's always bitter-sweet when I eventually see his point... well okay, it's more bitter than sweet."

The man lets out a small yawn and takes a few steps onto the balcony as he continues to write with a stern look.

"It's been a week since my last 'little venture', but it always feels like it happened yesterday. I don't want to forget about it, no matter how many times I have to slap myself awake every time I remember it. In those moments, I wanted to forget about all the stupid things that happened from London to Yemen, all those things that nearly turned me into a maniac. I get a little irritated when it happens, and I shouldn't because all that is over. Fortunately, I've been getting over it little by little, mainly because I've been taking a breather from my usual lifestyle, going on my second honeymoon with my wife and all that."

The man looks over his shoulder, seeing his wife sleeping soundly on the bed. He smiles softly as he then continues writing.

"I honestly didn't expect to get back with Elena, especially how the way it went. And there it is again, I shouldn't be surprised because stuff like this always happens to me. Not the marriage part, that's still new to me, I'm talking about how I never see how crazy my ways can be until much later. My life is one big roller-coaster ride going from hell to heaven non stop in multiple loops. It's getting ridiculous at this point, to be honest. I know I have to get off the ride at some point, but I want the last lap to end with a different track. So, after spending a few nights up thinking about it, I think I've finally found a new route to take from now on."

"Mmmh..." The man stops writing as he looks up at the sky with a disdain expression. He shakes his head as he walks over to the railing of the balcony, laying his elbows over the round hollow beam. He stares all the way at the ground for a few seconds, and brings up his booklet again.

"I was a teenager when I first got my hands on Drake's ring, and after 20 years of going around the world with it, I lose it at my last voyage. In a way, I'm kinda glad it's gone. Losing Drake's ring didn't feel like the end of the world, rather it felt like a new beginning. Last time I wasn't as committed to Elena as I should have, but after Yemen, I want to put an end to the part of my life that prevented me from moving forward from my usual livelihood, and begin life anew, experiencing new things with the people I care about along my side.

He puts the pencil between the booklet's page and cover to hold it with one hand as he then holds and looks at the ring he's wearing around his neck with a lanyard. He looks at every detail of his priceless wedding ring, smirking softly in the process. The man then grabs his pencil, and resumes writing in his booklet.  
"It's time for me to move on. Some stories have to end in order for new ones to begin. I don't know how this is going to be like, living a quiet life as a husband. I just want to be with Elena. I want to do whatever it takes to keep her happy. Maybe have a kid or two? Does she want kids? These are just two of the million questions I need to answer for her and myself. This is going to be quite the experience, that's for sure. That's why I'm writing all this down on a new journal, so that every moment that passes from here on out I'll be sure to jot it here in every shape and form. If there is ever a moment when I feel lost, I'll just check back here and see all the progress I've made. Think of everything written here as a rope to pull me up from a bottomless pit. I know this is all corny, but I don't know, this is my first step to a new life, so I'm sticking with it. My new journey starts tomorrow morning. If anyone is reading this by chance that I lost it or found it lying around somewhere hundreds of years in the future, do read on. I have plenty to share in my new chapter as a married man."

The man then closes his journal and looks at the empty front cover of it with a smile. He lowers the journal from his view as he then looks up at the clear sky, full of wonder of how is day is going to be like tomorrow. He inherited Sir Francis Drake's name, becoming a dedicated treasure hunter and fortune seeker, always up to learning new things and taking great risks into solving the world's greatest mysteries. Even now, he seeks to make his marriage a voyage that he'll always cherish - Nathan Drake.

"You're up again?" Nathan turns around to see his wife awake, talking to him from the bed with a drowsy stare, "At this rate, I'm going to end up buying a mallet just so you can stay asleep with me." She then turns away while putting the bed sheets over her shoulder, "Just come back to bed already..."

Nathan shakes his head with a chuckle, "Coming, honey." Nathan said jokingly as he then walks back into the apartment, and closes the glass door behind him.

**^ O X []**

The front glass of a boat's bridge vibrates from the sound of thunder erupting from a distance. A thunderstorm is slowly getting itself ready to take place in the middle of the ocean, with the sky covered in black thunderous clouds and with no land in sight. Amidst the ocean lies a small fishing boat, sailing deeper into the ocean. The boat has a two-floor bridge on the back end, with two fishing cranes reaching from the center to the front end of the deck. In the center of the boat lies a black coffin, with its lid half open on its upper half.

A man wearing a rain coat comes out of the bridge and walks along the side of the deck, walking towards another man with a raincoat, who is slightly short and pudgy, with black hair swept backwards, and is wearing a pair of sunglasses with black frames. He is staring at the dark clouds with his hands in his pockets.

"I just got a call from one of my boys. He said that the storm is gonna pick up in a half 'an hour." The boat operator said, "We can only go for a mile or two more, then I'll have to take us back to shore. I know you wanted to go farther, but I don't want to take any chances out here on a night like this."

The other man lets out a quick sigh, "You do what you gotta do." He replied slightly irritated. The operator furrowed his brow upon noticing the tone, but decides not to act upon it as he then turns around to get back at the bridge. He suddenly stops as he looks over his shoulder, seeing the figure inside the coffin. He turns towards it with a sad expression, "He... really was something, huh?"

"He was more than something," The other man replied as he turns towards the coffin, and walks towards it, "He was a hero that everyone needed; a friend that I needed the most. I couldn't have asked for anyone better." The man with the sunglasses stares at the body in the coffin, scratching his chin while feeling emotional. He is man of leisure, always trying to avoid work and make an easy living. However, when it comes to dire situations, especially when good people are involved, he'll strive to make things right for everyone - Zeke Dunbar.

The boat operator rubs his head as he takes a quick look at the clouds, and then looks back at the man, "I can get little closer to the destination point. Be ready to get wet soon; it's gonna get hectic in just a bit."

"Thanks." Zeke nods with a smile at the boat operator, who then leaves back to the bridge. Zeke stands alone in the deck, as he looks back at the coffin with a sadden look once again. He turns away, knowing that there isn't much time left before the boat reaches its destination, where his friend - his 'brother' - will be able to rest in piece. Memories begin to pop in Zeke's head, making him feel even worse. Zeke rubs his forehead to calm down as he takes a few steps forward near the side of the deck. He puts his hand back in his pocket as he stares at his reflection on the ocean floor, watching the image distort continuously by the boat's movements. Zeke then looks up at the dark clouds, hearing the sound of thunder coming from within them. The sound is soothing to Zeke, as it recalls a memory of his dear friend.

**4 years ago...**

After an evacuation of a flooding in part of the city of New Marais, two men can be seen in broad daylight, parkouring across the empty buildings. One of the men is Zeke - who is wearing a white t-shirt, thick grey shorts, white sneakers, and sunglasses with yellow frames - running behind another man around his age.

The man running ahead is taller than Zeke, standing in 5'10 ft/1.77 m tall, and is also much leaner and has a balanced muscle tone. He's a Caucasian man in his early 20's, with a light skin tan, a shaved head, a light stubble beard, and tattoos akin to stars and wings on his arms. He wears a sleeveless white shirt, grey jeans, and black and white sneakers. Him and Zeke jump onto a rooftop below them, as the man rolls onto his feet upon landing and quickly sprints forward without losing his momentum. Zeke follows him as he jumps down onto the rooftop, but stumbles onto his chest, groggily getting back up to his feet as the other man has already jumped onto the rooftop ahead of him.

"No way I'm going down like that!" Zeke grunts as he hurries his pace to catch up with the man. "Ha!" Zeke does a long jump across the air, landing right on top of the edge of the rooftop. As Zeke stands straight, his foot slips back from the wet tile he is standing on, causing him to fall off the building. "Ahh!"

"Gotcha!" The other man exclaimed as he grabs Zeke by his arm and hauls him onto the rooftop. "Whoa!"

"Wah!" The two land on their backs side by side, breathing heavily from that near death experience. They both looked at each other, with their eyes widen in fright. They then chuckle, as a he then burst into laughter a few seconds later. "Ah ha ha ha! Ah hell! This is what I get for trying to make an effort."

"Heh heh heh!" The other man sits up, wiping the sweat off his brow, "You're better off saving that strength for your toilet hours. You might get done quicker that way." He said with a slight gravel in his voice.

"Hey, some of us enjoy our bathroom breaks more than others." Zeke replied with a smirk. The other man gets up on his feet, and then reaches his hand towards Zeke. Zeke looks at the man with a smile as he then grabs his hand, and pulls himself up. "Tsk... I guess that makes us even for pulling you up a while ago."

"Nah. This is on me. I still owe you one." The man replied as he overlooks the flooded town. He is a guy who always plans things out before going into action, many of those choices being unethical and dangerous at times. But whatever he decides, it's always for the best for him and for every good guy out there - Cole MacGrath.

"That's good to hear. You're getting the beers tonight." Zeke replied, taking up on Cole's words. Cole chuckles as he shakes his head, and starts walking around the rooftop, seeing the church of St. Ignatius from afar. Zeke walks to Cole's side, and sits back down as he wipes the sweat off his forehead.

"I can never get tired of this place," Cole said, still staring at the church, "It's a shame we still have to get back to Empire City in the morning."

"Hah... YOU have to get back. I can stay here as long as I want. It's one of the many perks of having no obligations."

"I'm glad you have your life set." Cole replied sarcastically, "As for me, I already used up all my sick days this year. My boss is gonna get on my ass if I don't show up for duty."

Zeke then sits on the ground with his legs stretched out, "Man, you need a better job. It's bad enough that you're a delivery boy, but wanting to stick with it as a career is just stupid. You're never gonna get any real dough working there for the rest of your life. You might as well work at a coffee shop; at least it wouldn't be as exhausting as what you're doing now."

"I'm making enough to live the dream." Cole said while looking over at Zeke. He then looks back over at the church, "I enjoy biking around the city; the place is like a jungle, and I'm the king of all of it." Cole then extends his arm forward, "When I go full speed, biking in between trucks, going past startled folk, I feel like I'm flying across the air, with nothing slowing me down in sight. Handing packages to people is like a hero reaching his destination point to save the day, even if some people he meets are as**oles. And even here, this place feels like a new land for me to fly around in. The world is a small place for someone worried about promotions and living space. As long as I can spread my wings, I'm livin' the good life."

"Hell, man. Either you've been reading too many comic books, or you've been smoking something you haven't shared yet."

"Ha! What about you, Zeke?" Cole asked while turning towards Zeke, "What keeps you... Zeke-ish?"

"Well..." Zeke gets back up on his feet, "Unlike you, I took shop classes, so I know a thing or two of this country's main necessities. I know enough that I can do as little as make plans for new tech in my own company, and have my employees to make them in my stead. I can just sit back and relax while I have college graduates take out my trash and keep the floors clean. That's a life for a true king."

"Sounds like you already have it made," Cole smirks, "Too bad you're busy leaving pizza stains on the couch."

"Ho ho. Why don't you be a hero and deliver me something to clean it up."

"All right, let's make a bet." Cole then points to the rooftop ahead, "Last one to reach the building at the end has to clean up the couch."

Zeke twirls his head in a circle, "Like I can beat you, but I'm sure as hell ain't gonna back down!"

Cole smirks as he readies himself to run, "See you at the end!" The two then start dashing forward, making their way to the building ahead. Cole jumps over to the rooftop, having a big smile on his face as Zeke rushed after him with a smirk.

**Present time...**

Zeke sadly looks at his best friend in the coffin, placing his palm over the lid. After a long and rough battle, Cole MacGrath, a conduit who used his powers for good will and to protect people from harms way, sacrificed his life, as well as the thousands of conduits in the world, to stop a deadly plague capable of killing millions of people all over the world. Since the incident back in Empire City, Cole has stopped many dangerous people - humans and conduits alike - from taking over the cities he adored, preventing them from ruining countless lives with their new world order. His death has made him a hero amongst the people, a patron saint for New Marais, the city where he learned to 'fly'.

Cole lies dormant in his coffin, with a barely visible scar on his right cheek, and is wearing a white t-shirt with gray sleeves, blue track pants with three thick white strips going across each other on the center of the right legging, and a pair of dark blue sneakers with white soles. He sleeps peacefully with his hands cupped over his stomach, as Zeke wipes the tears from behind his sunglasses. Zeke mouth furrows in sadness as he looks at Cole once more.

"I love you, Brother. I'm sure as hell gonna miss you." Zeke then pushes the lid over the coffin's upper half and closes it, putting an end to Cole's heroic tale.

**^ O X []**

Once upon a time - or happening currently, rather - there is a beautiful land known as Titania. Titania is a land with a diverse landscape such as ravaging mountains both hot and cold to the north, and beautiful coastlines to the south. The land is rich with a seemingly endless supply of resources, which helps Titania's neighboring kingdoms - The Red Kingdom and the Blue Kingdom - to be at peace with one another. These two kingdoms have always been in the friendliest of terms... except for that ONE time, but we'll get to that in a bit...

Near the right side of the dreaded Black Forest in the center of Titania lies the Red Kingdom's castle, a big yellow castle with a tower in every corner, and one in each side, with all having a red cone shaped roof with red flag getting caught in the wind's current. There are five arrow loops in between each tower, Around the castle is a few trees, and a stone path that leads up to the castle's front red gates with yellow stripe platings across its upper, center, and lower sections. The front gates open, as a little man comes pulling an empty wooden trolley. He stands around 2 to 3 ft/ 60.9 to 91.40 cm tall, with a big head, blue eyes, brown hair, and a frowny expression, wearing a red garb with a yellow stripe around the waist, and red shoes. Two guards of the same height and similar appearance to the villager, wearing red suits of armor with double horn helmets, watch the man leave, as another villager pulling a trolley full of chopped wood walks into the kingdom grounds.

The guards overlook the meadows, seeing no one approaching as they then grab the front gates, and slowly close them shut. The two then stood in front of the entrance, a distance away from the civilization within the outer bailey of the Red Kingdom. The outer bailey is full of shops and houses with different roof colors, with many of the kingdom's people just going all over the place.

"Magic potions! Get your magic potions! Fresh off the cauldron!" A salesmen exclaimed waving a square bottle of rainbow-colored substance behind his counter as a new day has begun in Titania, with the market place being as lively as ever. Villagers, all being the same height except for their children, are roaming around the shops, gathering supplies from different stores, with the shop owners managing their sales without breaking a sweat. Some of the non-shoppers are either taking a walk across the bailey by themselves or with their families, or they are just talking to amongst themselves, sharing laughs and whatnot.

The man pulling the trolley full of wood marches by the villagers, sweating profusely with a gritty, but calm expression. He marches past the open gateway to the inner bailey, where the king's soldiers reside and where people can hone their abilities. Many of the buildings here are more mechanical than the ones in the lower bailey, having engine powered buildings with different looks, all of them sharing an unorthodox metal patchment in their structure A few rookie soldiers can be seen clashing their sticks at each other in front of the barracks, practising their swordsmanship while their teacher berates them for the mistakes they're making. Rangers can be seen shooting their arrows at wooden dummies in front of the inner bailey wall, while other soldiers are studying their spell books. A few workers can be seen building a catapult near the hat machine - a small red dome machine, with a small grate in the front. Many people are lined up in front of the machine as a soldier standing next to the machine's grateway scratches a name off the scroll he's holding.

"Next!" The soldier said, as a villager walks up to the machine with a nervous look. He rubs his hands together anxiously as the machine begins to let out steam from its chimney. The machine then turns off as its grate opens, and a helmet akin to a warrior's helmet pops out of it and lands in front of the villager. The villager gazes at the helmet as he picks it and puts it on. A puff of smoke engulfs around the villager as it then disperses, revealing the villager, who is now wearing the same armor as the warriors wear. The newly warrior then unsheathes his blade and sticks it up in the air.

"Huzzah!" The men exclaim with pride as they raise their arm fist in the air. The new warrior walks away as next man in line steps in and awaits his new class upgrade, with the man pulling the trolley passing by them. The man then pulls his trolley up the stone slope next to the stairs at the center, walking towards the Red Kingdom's Castle. The front entranceway has a red carpet leading up to the main doorway, with red flower gardens circling around red and gold, cake-shaped fountains on both sides at a distance. Two guards are standing beside the castle's main doorway, standing firm with their glaives at hand. The man reaches the end of the slope as he then stops and takes a quick breather.

"CAAAAAKE!" A shout can be heard echoing from inside the castle, causing the guards to shake a bit before quickly regaining their stances. The man's eyes light up as he recovers his strength, and pulls his trolley through the castle's main doorway.

The man hurries along the castle hall, which is full of the castle's servants, running back and forth on the red carpet floor, and around the yellow floors and columns in the halls. The man pulls his trolley through a double doorway, heading into a massive kitchen, with dozens of cooks preparing different kinds of meals.

"Over here! Quickly!" A chef exclaimed as the man pulling the trolley starts grabbing the wood and placing them on a short stack of lumber next to a row of stoves. Many chefs grab the wood, and throw them into the stove, lighting them up to prepare their meals at the same time.

"CAAAAAAAAAKE!" a voice can be heard screaming from outside the kitchen, echoing across the entire castle.

"Chop, chop, everyone! Your highness is hungry!" A chef exclaimed as he puts his dish on a red platter full of other dishes. Servants come into the kitchen in a straight line as one of the chefs tosses the platter to the servant up front, who catches it effortlessly with both hands as he turns around and leaves. This process repeats over and over again, as a long line of servants holding big serving platters with different kinds of meals such as turkey, pork, ribs, steak, and a jar of jelly beans march out of the kitchen at a steady pace.

The servants march towards the throne room - a big area with a thick red carpet along the center, several spring-line windows on both sides of the walls with purple drapes in between, and a massive arched ceiling. On the left wall of the throne room lies a big portrait of the king of the Red Kingdom, smiling along with his small and beautiful daughter, sitting on her father's lap.

"CAAAAKE! I WANT MORE CAKE NOW!"

At the center of the throne room, there is a wooden dining table with one halve full of dishes with bones, grease, and pastries, and the other halve full of freshly prepared meals. The servants march around the table, holding up their platters with one hand and up against their chest, placing each dish on an open space on the table as a small hand with big forearm quickly snatches it away. The servants march around the table, picking up the dirty tables and putting them on their platters as they leave. At the left side of the middle of the table, the kingdom's princess dines on every meal and pastry her servants lay before her, horking them down before her servant can even walk around the table.

The Princess is exactly as portrayed in the portrait... with some minor additions. She stands around 3'6" ft/1.06 m tall, with a large, bubbly figure, having blonde hair with curls on the sides. She wears a pink dress with a big white ribbon at the front of her waist, a thick white stripe around the center of her skirt, sleeves that end over her biceps, tight pink gloves with the wrists stretching over the middle of her forearms, pink shoes and stretched out white socks around her feet, and a pink tiara lopsided on her head. An ordinary princess with an abnormal appetite. Her goal in life is to eat cake, and... that's it; she is a princess that thrives for cake - Princess Plump.

"Ooohhh! CAAAAKKEEEEE!" Plump claps her hands in joy as she sees servants bringing cake from down the line. The princess then pushes all the dirty dishes in front of her off the table as some of them breaking upon hitting the carpet floor, making room for her favorite pastery. The servants close to the mess remain unfazed as they pick up the shards and place them on the platter along with the other dirty dishes before marching off. The princess eagerly awaits the cakes, eating a turkey leg without even looking at it.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the throne room lies a mid-size staircase with a red carpet that leads up to the throne, where the Red Kingdom's King sits with his arms resting over the throne's armrest.

The King is exactly as portrayed in the portrait... with some minor differences. He is a little taller than his daughter, and has a brown full fledge beard and moustache, curled halfway to the side. He wears a red royal garb, with a purple and yellow garb underneath, and has a big red and yellow crown on his head. A man of royalty that cares deeply for his daughter's well-being, which ended up loosing his sanity - Red King.

Red King slouches back on his throne with mouth half open, drooling coming out from the corner of his lip. He stares blankly at the ceiling, with his moving left to right at a slow pace. Ever since his daughter ate that giant cake in the black forest, he suspected that his daughter was cursed. When he found out that marrying a prince would break the curse, the Red King kidnapped the princess of the Blue Kingdom so that the prince could marry his daughter, but the Blue Kingdom retaliated by kidnapping her as well. War broke out, with dozens of soldiers from both sides getting killed in trying to rescue their princess from the enemy castle. In the end, Princess Plump was saved, and married Prince Albert of the Green Kingdom, ending the curse. But to the King's dismay, there was no curse; the cake was just very tasty.

The Red King now spends his time sitting idly on his throne, contemplating every stressful moment that has happened since trying to cure his daughter's curse. Behind the throne is two guards, and the King's assistant, who a bald head with medium length white hair on the sides of his head, wearing a pale green garb with a brown strap around the waist, brown boots, and a light blue cape. He assists the Red King in making decisions for the Kingdom, even if they are a little ridiculous - the Aide.

"It breaks my heart to keep seeing the king this way." The aide said to the guards, who just listened quietly, "But on the bright side, Her Majesty has remained in a positive mood despite the circumstances."

The servants with the cakes arrive near the table, placing their dishes near Plump. "YES! CAKE! GRUMGPOMNONMOFF!" The Princess hoarks every slice of cake given to her, making more of a mess than before, as well as groaning with each bite she takes.

The aide then blinks in surprise, "Oh dear. It's time for His Majesty's hourly check up!" The aide then approaches the throne, standing next to the dazed Red King with a soft smile, "Sire, it's time to wake up and smell the roses."

"Dead... all of them dead... and I started it - ha! I started the whole winky dinky thing! Ho hoo!" The Red King said with a chortle. His pupils then dilate, seeing a burning landscape with shadows of soldiers fighting and dying, "There was so much blood everywhere, it was a massacre. But... everyone likes cake. Who wouldn't die for it? I mean... it was wrong of me to try and stop my daughter from eating her favorite delicacy. Even though - Nghhh!" The King's bares his teeth widely in disgust, but quickly regains his previous expression, "Even though... she has been eating non stop day and night, I am okay with it. Is it an unhealthy habit? I sincerely think so. Will she die from it? If she is still alive now, than she can everything she wants... Will she explode? Maybe... I mean, if a giant cake can grow out of the ground in the Black Forest, then my daughter should explode into billion slices of cakes for all the kingdom to enjoy, and obtain my daughter's great appetite! Everyone is going to eat day, after day, after day, AFTER DAY, AFTER DAY-!?"

"Sire? Sire! Wake up!" The Aide exclaimed while shaking the King back and forth by his shoulders.

"Wh-Wh-Whoa!?" The King regains his sense of reality, sitting up straight as he gazes around the throne room with his eyes half open and drool sticking over his beard, "Wh-What happened? What is going on?"

"Forgive me, sire. It is the top of the hour and I had to wake you up from your stupor, as prescribed from the priests."

"Ah, yes. Thank you." The Red King rubs the sides of his nose tire-fully. He then rubs his eyes, and looks over at his daughter, still eating away at the meals given to her in the usual pace. The Red King sighs as he rests his head over his palm, feeling the tension coming back to his mind, "Gosh darnit... is it always going to be like this?"

"I believe this faze will end in due time, sire," The aide said with his hands on his back, "Your daughter has a bright future ahead of her. She is going to make this kingdom flourish under her rule someday, and she'll have you to thank for everything you've done for her well being. Why, I think she's starting to cut back a little, don't you think?"

The Red King stays quiet, staring at his daughter continue to eat away. He continues to stare for a few more seconds as his eye begins to twitch, and his starting to feel light.

"Hmmmghh - gonna need another hour, mmmkay? Wake me - ZZZzzzz..." The King slouches backward, falling fast asleep from the stress in his mind. He snores loudly, chuckling maniacally a few moments in between each snore. The Aide shakes his head at the King with a smile, while Princess Plump licks the frosting off her fingers.

"MMMmmmm! That was delicious! I want more, please!" The Princess asked in a sweet manner as more servants appeared with her meals, which she claps upon seeing them.

And so begins another typical routine for Princess Plump, the same as how the rest of the great individuals mentioned previously will spend their time - doing the same great things they always do - as well as those who live for those great people that have passed on forever in mind. Whatever comes before them, they'll do what they do best and move on, just like they always do.

Outside the kingdom, over an empty meadow, the wind picks up a little, as a wavy line with blue color variants can be seen slowly moving across the air.

**^ O X []**

* * *

**I'm still working out the details in this story, so don't expect the new chapter very soon. I am so glad I finally got this chapter done. Thank you for reading, and look forward to more on a later date. Ciao for now!  
**


	3. Prologue 3-3

**Hey, guys! I managed to get another chapter out before the year's end. Now that I got the prologue out of the way, I can focus on the beginning arc. The next chapters will most likely not be as long as this and last chapter. **

**Anyway, without further ado, here's the end of the prologue and the beginning of a new adventure. Enjoy!**

* * *

BZZZZZZZT!

Lightning continues to be heard throughout the land, deafening those that still live in this destroyed world. The storm grows more violent, with massive showers raining harder over Mount Olympus, with every drop bouncing off and streaming down broken statues, rubble, dead plants, and corpses at every location. Streams of water are flowing over the edges on the peak of the mountain, with it and the rain going inside a cave a few ways down from the top.

Kratos remains inside the cave, sitting on a rock formation up against the wall, feeling his energy seeping away with every minute passing. He can't feel the water from the rain around his legs, nor does he seem to acknowledge it. He has stopped feeling pain over a while ago, having little to no energy to move at all, as he stares blankly at his legs in the water, washing little of his blood away. The Ghost of Sparta can feel his death drawing near, feeling completely at peace with himself, a feeling that he has forgotten for many years. Kratos lowers his head a little more, slowly closing his eyes, patiently waiting for his end to come.

A few moments pass, and nothing happens. He would have been anxious already if he hadn't lost so much blood and stamina. Suddenly, he sees a blue light glowing through his eyelids, as well as hearing a tranquil sound. Kratos dazedly opens his eyes and raises his head a little, as his vision blurs greatly before it adjusts itself. In front of the Spartan are blue wavy lines, waving in front of Kratos' face, brightening the cave with its glow. Kratos is so low on energy, he doesn't acknowledge the lines. He doesn't even know if it's actually there or not.

"Unngh..." The Spartan closes his eyes once more, letting his head hang forward, as the blue wavy lines then fly out of the cave and head into the dreaded storm outside.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines course along the air, traversing over a small yard. The waves go by the squared window of Toro's room, as Toro and Kuro are watching TV inside, eating their breakfast on the table. Toro is eating his natto rolls with chopsticks and Kuro is eating a cheeseburger.

"Graa!" Kuro takes a big bite out of his burger, causing Toro to look at him in disgust.

"Eating a burger in the morning is not healthy, Kuro," Toro said with an eyebrow raised, "You need something light and nutritious to start the day full of energy. Eating nothing but fast food is just going to make you sleepy."

Kuro swallows the portion he was chewing and turns his head at Toro with a messy smile, "Ha ha! Shows how much you know! Unlike you, I do more than just silly things all day." Kuro then flexes his right arm at Toro, "Notice anything new? Unlike what you do every morning, I exercise ten minutes a day! I lift heavy weights and stuff like that, so I have to eat more to gain more mass for my muscles!" Kuro then sticks his head high with an egotistic smile, "I can already hear the ladies swoon at me right now, begging to touch my awesome pecs."

"Uh-huh..." Toro stares at Kuro's arm with a puzzled look, not seeing anything different from the last time he saw it. He sweats as he then looks at Kuro with a hopeful look, "Um... I think you need to rethink your workout schedule better. Meow."

"Bah! You're just jealous that you'll never have muscles like mine." Kuro dismissed Toro's suggestion as he then takes another bite out of his burger.

"Sure... whatever you say..." Toro pouts as he eats another natto roll with his chopsticks.

"So anyway, what's your plan for today? I just so happen to have enough free time to keep you company."

Toro's eyes perk up with joy as he quickly swallows his roll and looks at Kuro, "I'm planning on going to the Star Festival to wish myself into a human!"

"Eh? Wishing?" Kuro raises an eyebrow, "Nyah! Didn't you already do something like that a long time ago?"

"This time is going to be different!" Toro explained, waving his stretched out arms up and down with enthusiasm, "I've done many nice things since then! If I try wishing again, then surely my dream would come true!"

"Toro, Toro..." Kuro sighed as he shakes his head and puts his burger on his plate, "This is your biggest dream, right? You can't just do the same thing last time and expect something different to happen."

"But I have a really good feeling - Ow!" Kuro backhands Toro's forehead with passion, causing Toro's eyes turn into swirls.

Kuro then shakes his round hands in the air, "You CAN'T make your dream come true by doing the same thing over and over again! It's not going to change anything! Nyah!" Kuro then extends his arm to the dazed Toro, "You have to treat your dream with more respect. Try to be more innovative; do things you have never done before, like, do some nice things humans do or something. That way, once you become a human, you will know that you went over the limit to make it happen, and nothing else will be as satisfying as that." Kuro then picks up his burger, and takes a bite out of it, "Just be creative, Toro!"

Toro regains his senses, taken back by Kuro's words, "W-Wow, Kuro. I never really thought about it that way before. Meow."

"Hey, we're like a team. You can't do anything without my guidance, and I can't do anything without you making me look good."

Toro gives Kuro a vindictive look, "Th-Thanks, I guess..."

The TV then changes the news channel it was on to show the TV's white cat figure, which looks angry, "I think you're the last person Toro needs guidance from. Especially when you talk with your mouth full!"

Kuro pouts at that remark as he puts his burger on his plate, glaring at the TV, "That's funny coming from an object that does nothing but stay on one spot every day! You couldn't talk with your mouth full even if you wanted to!"

"Gah!? I'll show you!" The TV summons a pan in midair as it then falls straight down at Kuro.

Kuro grins as he sways his head back, avoiding the pan, "Ha! You miss-!?"

SPLAT!

The pan crushes the burger, squeezing its condiments onto Kuro's shocked face. Kuro blinks in surprise as he then sneers at the TV, "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Kuro charges at the Tv as gets over the table, but Toro quickly holds him back by wrapping his arms around Kuro's waist.

"Please, you two! Stop acting so childish! Meow!" Toro cried, as Kuro is frantically swinging his arms and legs while trying to get the TV, which shows the cat figure waving it's arms up and down, yelling at Kuro over his behavior.

The struggle continues as another wave of blue lines go by Toro's window, circling up into the sky.

**^ O X []  
**

Blue wavy lines swim deep into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, heading towards one of the Tram tunnels of Rapture's districts: Olympus Heights. This district is where the most wealthiest and successful people of the underwater city reside in their top class apartments, accessed via a tram route that is connected to many other districts in the city. This place has become a war zone after Rapture's downfall, with the apartment complex in a state of decay, littered with rubble from the upper floors and bodies lying around in separate areas. The Tram tunnel is not much different, as it is also littered with debris and corpses, as well as sandbags, furniture, and heavily damaged trams all over, with water leaking inside the tunnel through the glass' damaged exterior to top things off.

Further down the tunnel is the Central Square Bistro, the central hub of Olympus Heights. The Bistro was a popular location where many people dine and hear music while they wait for their tram to arrive. It's now abandoned and destroyed, with puddles of water and broken pillars are seen around the mucky and bloody floor. The center of the Bistro -where people go to eat- has papers, broken dishes, and other objects around the counter, which looks burnt and bent from the aftermath of the battles that took place here.

At the left corner from the Bistro's rear entrance lies a round open vent in a wall, with a metallic plate -stylized with leaves and plant stems- that has one end around the vent and the other touching the floor, having a little of the bottom portion sticking out. There, a metallic hand drops a purse inside the vent, as giggling is heard deep in the vent moments later.

"Muuuuuuuughh..." Big Daddy walks away from the vent, walking across the Bistro with his drill held up diagonally, staying attentive to his surroundings. He walks around a wall near the Bistro's front entrance, and spots a turret -a machine gun with a spotlight on top of a swivel chair that turns via a mechanism attached to it- turning towards him. The turret flashes its green light over Big Daddy, who doesn't react to it as he then walks out of the Bistro. The turret continues to survey it's surroundings, as there are several turrets positioned around specific areas in the southern part of the Tram Tunnel. Big Daddy walks through the damaged pavement, walking past some of the turrets, which don't shoot him upon seeing him. He walks near the end of the tunnel -blocked by debris and burning trams- and walks towards the center of the path, heading down a slope towards the sewers, where a few corpses and furniture are found lying in the path and beneath the arched pillars on the sides.

Big Daddy enters the sewers, seeing another turret fixate it's light at the only entrance. He pays no attention to the turret, as he turns towards the sewer gate winch near the entrance and turns it, closing the entrance with a thick metal gate, which stops a few inches from the ground to allow water to seep through. The Protector then walks down the path to the right, and opens a double door entrance with two smaller doors at its bottom center to the left at the end of the path. He goes into a small empty area -which has sewer pipes aligned high on the walls, with a few lights flickering from the ceiling- and walks down a set of stairs, which barely holds Big Daddy's weight as some of them are bent.

Big Daddy turns to the left upon reaching downstairs, arriving in a rectangular-shaped room, with sewer pipes of different sizes covering the ceiling, and sewer water flowing out from a few big pipes from the walls on the room's right side, going down a drainage area below behind a rickety rail. There are a few bunk beds with no mattresses lying around against a corner and a rail, as well as a table against a small pillar-like wall, having chocolate bars and toys on it. On the other side of the room are a few drawings on the floor, with used candles and a wheelchair around it. Big Daddy walks to the wall at the end of the room, which has an exact vent as the one at the Bistro. Big Daddy knocks on the rim of the vent, causing the vent to vibrate loudly. Moments later, sounds are heard from inside.

"Boo!" The Big Daddy's Little Sister pops out of the vent midway with her arms spread out, playfully attempting to scare Big Daddy, who shows no reaction, "Tee hee hee! I. Scared. Youuuu." The Little Sister teased. Big Daddy then helps Little Sister out of the vent, gently grabbing her below her armpit as the Little Sister holds on to his arm while gently lowered to the ground. Little Sister then takes off the purses she had carrying around her shoulders. "Let me put these with the others!"

Little Sister hurries over to the right side of the vent, where a small medical room is located, which can be seen through a glass wall from the outside. Little Sister enters the medical room -which is small, has purple drapes around the glass wall, a bed big enough for only children to lie on, and a window where the lower and darker portions of Rapture can be seen through- and puts the purses on a table drawer. She opens the top drawer, which has a few viles of ADAM neatly lined up inside, and takes out a vile of ADAM from one of the purses to put them in the drawer one at a time. She continues to do this for a few moments later until the drawers are full of ADAM. Little Sister saves one vile as she then blows a kiss to the rest of it, "Good night, ADAMs." She closes the drawers and heads out of the medical room.

On the left side at the vent lies a big bed in the corner, with a small drawer table that has a lamp and radio on it, next to it. On the ground near the bed are a few magazines about electronics, an audio diary, and a worn-out backpack, and on the bed are a few books of varying subjects and drawings of Big Daddy and Little Sister together spread out around the bed sheets. On the walls are copies of Rapture's layout map, having different dates on them written in red marker and multiple X marks scratched over certain areas, with the later dates having fewer marks. Big Daddy scratches over Fort Frolic on one of the maps with his finger, as some of the other copies have that placed crossed out while others don't. The Little Sister comes out of the medical room, carrying a few supplies with her.

"It's bath time, Mr. B." Little Sister said, putting the supplies near Big Daddy. The Protector then backs away from the wall and sits down on a debris near the table drawer. Little Sister hums a tune as she pours a liquid on a piece of cloth and rubs it on a damaged part of Big Daddy's armor, buffing out the scratches he obtained from his fight with the Splicers a while ago. She then gets on the debris with Big Daddy, rubbing the cloth over his combustion engine on his back. She continues to clean up Big Daddy for a few minutes, hopping off the debris upon finishing. Big Daddy's suit glows vibrantly for just a little, as the Little Sister's way of 'repairing' him isn't as effective as Protectors normally get repaired, but it was better than nothing regardless. Little Sister then takes out her extractor, having the vile of ADAM she took earlier connected to it. "Snack time, Mr. B..." She injects the ADAM into Big Daddy's right arm.

"Mmmmmmmmm..." Big Daddy groans as the ADAM revitalizes his entire being in just a few seconds. He clenches his fist, ecstatic upon feeling this sensation running through his veins. Little Sister fully empties the vile into her protector, as Big Daddy's eyes glow green in content, feeling ready to go out and hunt for more ADAM. The Protector groans in relief, as Little Sister gets on the debris again, hugging Big Daddy's upper right arm. She leans over Big Daddy's helmet with a smile.

"Mr. B, can we please take a break? I want to read more of those papers you gave me." Little Sister pleaded, trying to contain her excitement as she is hopping a little bit, "Please, oh, please! We just got back! We have a lot of ADAM now! Can't we rest a bit? Pleeeease? Oh, please, please, please!"

Big Daddy turns his body a little over to the Little Sister, moving his drill over his lap so he wouldn't bump her with it. He brushes the girl's bangs with his fingers, cupping her cheek with his palm as the Little Sister holds his hand tenderly in response. "Fmmmmuuuuu..." The Protector groans as he then turns over to the bed in front of him, resting his palm over his drill.

The Little Sister smiles widens as she then kisses Big Daddy, "Thank you, Mr. B!" She giggles as she hops off the debris and gets on the bed. She quickly starts reading a manual titled "Protector Schematics: Bouncer", with dry blood on the edges of the pages. Big Daddy moans quieter than usual, as he then reaches over the radio on the table, and switches it on.

The radio begins to play "It Had To Be You", one of the many songs played over and over from an active station someone forgot to switch off when the war happened. Listening to music is one of the few things Big Daddy and Little Sister enjoy doing together without risking their lives out in streets of Rapture. While the two are 'happy' with their line of work, and don't do anything other than that every day, it is refreshing to just take a break and listen to the tunes after a hard day's work. Little Sister gets sucked into the details of the manual she is reading, while Big Daddy lets the tunes ease his being.

As the two are enjoying their break, blue wavy lines pop up from the railing at the other side of the room, as they enter in an open sewer pipe, heading deep into the darkness.

**^ O X []  
**

Blue wavy lines fly out of the water, as the ocean's waves grow bigger with each minute passing by. The storm is picking up, with the waves rocking the boat where Cole's body is being transported. Zeke stumbles over Cole's coffin, hanging on to it with all his strength, as the rain showers heavily over him and all over the deck. The boat's captain maintains the boat's course, steering the wheel at the right moments to prevent his ship from tipping over. A few minutes pass, with the storm getting worse.

The captain opens the window and shouts at Zeke, "We are not going to make it out here much longer! We have to turn back soon!"

"Just a little far ahead!" Zeke replied, holding his hood over his head to prevent the wind from blowing it off.

The boat heads farther out in the ocean, as blue wavy lines fly in dark, cloudy sky.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines fly in the clear sky, being in the center of the hot sun, as away from the city below, Spike and Jake are running along the path in an empty field of grass, with a small forest on the left side.

"So what do you think the Professor has made this time?" Jake asked, running beside Spike at the same speed.

"I have no idea. We'll just find out when we get there." Spike replied.

"Let's hope we don't run into monkeys attacking the lab."

"If there is, I'll be sure to catch them again." Spike then runs ahead of Jake.

"Oh come on!"

The two laugh as they run up along a meadow, where a big lab lies on its center. The Professor's Lab is a three floor yellow building in shape of a curvy yellow cylinder, having smaller cylinder two floor structures on its sides, with the left structure being light blue instead of yellow. There are a few round windows on the upper floors, with the center structure having big squared windows in shape of a rectangle on front of its second floor. The front entrance has a hangar door with caution signs for its borders, and on each side of the door are stairways that lead up to the second floor balcony, which has a few trees for decor and is connected to every structure around it's front, back, and right side. On the roof of the main structure lies a large, hollow, brown mechanism, held up by big brown beams that go over the ceiling's edges at an angle, going all the way down to the balcony floor below. There are also a few beams with different kinds of hooks with a curvy platform on top over the upper right structure to raise heavy machinery to the roof, which has a few antennas and an entrance to the building.

The hangar doors open sideways automatically as Spike runs inside, followed by Jake. The two put their hands on their knees, tired of running as Spike raises his head tiredly, "Professor! We're here!"

Spike and Jake are in the Professor's Lab, which takes up most of the main structure's first floor and the front portion of its second floor. The lab has a red, yellow, and grey theme color scheme, having many metal frames with thick wires in them and several pipes with pressure gauges on the corners of the lab, and computers next to the side walls with huge monitors and keyboards. There are a few iron crates spread out around the ground, with the ground having big squared metal frames mostly gray in lines, with blue squares with yellow borders in between, having one yellow square tile in the center of the lab. On the ceiling are various support beams, all having thick wires that lead towards something covered in an enormous white sheet at the far end of the lab, standing before a red generator with three square caution signs lined up against one another, with the generator having huge pipes connected to the wall behind it and a big pipe on each of its side, both having a broader blue frame with yellow edges on their centers, having monitors depicting two-digit numbers on the front.

"Coming through, coming through," A man then appears from around the corner of the covered mechanism, avoiding the tools and crates that are in his way. He is an old, pudgy man, standing around 5'6" ft/1.7 m tall, with short white-grey hair on the back and the sides of his head, big white-grey eyebrows, a big round nose, and a white-grey mustache that covers his mouth. He is wearing a white lab coat with a light peach undershirt, a purple tie, and blue jeans held up by a black belt. He is a well-known scientist for bringing new grounds in the fields of science with his inventions - Doctor Ozel, the Professor.

The Professor nearly trips over a screwdriver, stumbling forward as he regains his composure, "Was that always there?" he stares confusedly at the screwdriver, showing his absent-minded side as Spike and Jake sweat with weak smile on their faces. The Professor then looks over at Spike and Jake, and approaches them, "Spike! You're just in time! Oh, and Jake is here too. That's perfect! The more people to see my invention, the better."

"We're happy to be here, Professor!" Spike said, holding his fists in front of his chest excitedly, "So where is your new project?"

"In due time, Spike. First, we need to get it running." The Professor then looks over his shoulder while scratching his scalp, "Now where can she be?"

"Eh! I'm here!"

From the right doorway, a teenager comes in, holding up a heavy box with both arms. She is in her mid-teens, standing around 5'1"/ 1.55 m tall, with long orange hair tied in two pig tails on the back corners of her head, having a few bangs combed around her forehead. She is wearing a light-blue denim jacket, a white tube top with a black lining on the top and bottom, dark-blue jeans held up with a white belt, and red shoes with white toe caps and soles. She is the Professor's granddaughter and assistant, often short-tempered when seeing others not acting the way she expects them to, but is always there for her friends and grandfather - Natalie.

Natalie scrunches over, barely holding up the box she is holding as she looks over at Spike and Jake. "Um... are you guys just gonna stand there? How about giving me a hand."

Jake just stares at her with blushed cheeks, while Spike looks disinterested, "I don't know," Spike crosses his legs and places his hands on the back of his head, "You're just going to nag at us either way, right?"

"I'll 'nag' at you right now, you freeloader! Just get over here and help me!" Natalie yelled, with a vein popping over her forehead.

"U-U-Uh-I'll help!" Jake said as he then rushes over to Natalie's aid, taking the box off her hands, using a bit of his strength to hold it up.

Natalie sighs in relief as she wipes the sweat off her brow, "Thanks, Jake. You can put it over there."

"Nn-NO PROBLEM!" Jake flusters upon hearing Natalie thanking him, and moves the box up next to a big control panel on the right side of the lab, putting it down on the ground there.

"You see? Jake is a real gentlemen, unlike you!" Natalie scoffs at Spike with her eyes closed, as Jake startles upon hearing the 'gentleman'. Spike doesn't care for Natalie's words as the Professor then gets in between the two.

"Alright, that's enough, you two." The Professor said, looking at them back and forth, "We can save our discussions for later. It is now time to unveil my latest creation! Natalie, begin the initiation process!"

"You got it!" Natalie goes and sits in front of the control panel, pushing several buttons as the big monitor in front of her turns on. Several windows pop up on the corners of the screen, detailing power inputs, gauges, and so on, as a girl then appears on the screen's center. The girl appears to be around the same age as Spike and Jake, having long green hair worn straight down in a ponytail, and green eyes. She is wearing a black spandex suit -with her leggings ending over her midpoint of her upper legs- with a white insignia of a sort on the front; and is wearing white shoes with light brown quarters and brown soles. She is a computer program in form of a young girl, a kind individual that assists the Professor in a daily basis - Casi. "Hey, Casi, it's show time!"

"Hm hm! Commencing light show!" Casi replied happily with her eyes closed. Jake regroups with Spike as the shutters over the second floor windows then close, darkening the whole lab as a few lights turn on inside, directing its rays over to the big mechanism covered with a sheet. The Professor rushes over to it, and looks over at Spike and Jake excitedly as he grabs hold to the sheet.

"Spike! Jake! Behold my newest invention!" The Professor removes the sheet in a dramatic fashion, unveiling the mechanism in it's entirety. It is a big red octagon shaped platform with a yellow center and a gray border of the same shape, standing in the center of an elevated octagon-shaped base with caution-sign guard rails on each corner, accessed via the stairs on the front and sides. There is another platform of the same design hanging over the platform, having a few antennas connected to the upper sides and having multiple wires connected to it from the ceiling. The platforms give enough room for a person or two to stand in between. "Well! What do you think?" The Professor looks over at Spike and Jake, who look confused.

"Uh... it's the Time Machine." Spike said, a little disappointed.

"No offense, Professor, but we were expecting something new." Jake said.

Natalie sighs, "See, Grandpa? I told you the sheet was unnecessary." She said as Casi giggles in the background. The Professors stands upright with his eyes closed, rubbing his nostrils with his finger.

"Y-Yes, well... the aesthetics is of least importance." The Professor said, with a drop of sweat appearing on his forehead. He then opens his eyes with determination, "But it's the function of the device that matters!" The Professor then walks over to the boys, "You two are all familiar with the Time Machine's capability of traveling through time, but what if I told you that I've managed to expand that capability even further!"

"Even further than time traveling?" Jake asked with a confused look.

"Yes!" The Professor then faces towards the Time Machine, "After careful analysis and countless of weeks of work, I've upgraded the Time Machine's primary functions, giving it the capability to not only send anyone through time, but to other dimensions as well!"

"Dimensions!?" Spike and Jake exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, dimensions! Different worlds that we are unfamiliar with! Lands that differ from our own! Realities that surpass our imaginations!"

"That's amazing, Professor!" Spike exclaimed happily.

"Have you already tested it?" Jake asked.

"I've gone ahead and sent cameras to a few destinations already." The Professor said, looking back at the boys, "The results are varied; one landed in a big forest, and another in bleak landscape. So far, we can conclude that not all dimensions are safe for travel."

Spike's eyes brighten up more, "Th-That's why we're here, right!? To go to another dimension!?"

"I will need your assistance, yes. I cannot begin to analyze these worlds properly unless I have someone to go there and experience it for themselves. You two are capable of handling yourselves in dangerous environments, so I would be grateful if you were to lend me a hand with this task." The Professor then walks over to the Time Machine's manual input panel on the left side of the lab, "With that said, however, you'll be going to where we deemed safe for the time being. Can't be too safe in these kinds of procedures."

Spike and Jake look at each other with golden expressions, "We're going to another dimension!" They both exclaimed excitedly in unison.

"Me first!" Spike then runs ahead to the Time Machine.

"No! Me!" Jake follows as Natalie rolls her eyes as they run by.

"Boys..." She mumbles as she then turns towards the control panel, and activates the Time Machine. The Time Machine's antennas lighten up with electricity, as the generator turns on, powering the machine on standby. The Professor makes a few adjustments on the machine's input panel as blue wavy lines fly past his ankles, flying by Spike and Jake shortly afterwards as the duo make their up to the base of the machine.

Spike raises his fist in excitement, "All right! Let's go!"

**^ O X []**

The blue lines gently travel near an armed helicopter, which is in hot pursuit of Sweet Tooth's truck down at Route 95. Down at the road, Sweet Tooth is being chased by a few police cars, with the first two cars at the front catching up to him, splitting up to trap the clown from the sides.

Up in the sky, a little distant from the chase, a news channel helicopter is broadcasting the event live, with the cameraman and the news reporter leaning over the helicopter's open doorway, wearing their safety belts to prevent them from falling off.

"We are live from the skies of Arizona, as officials are in pursuit of the world's most dangerous man, Needles Kane, A.K.A. Sweet Tooth!" The reporter shouted in her microphone due to the turbulence, "Earlier this morning in the town of Quartszite, an ice-cream truck rammed into the home of the Stillwell family, nearly destroying the house upon impact."

The cameraman zooms in on the chase, as the cop car on Sweet Tooth's left side begins to close in on the truck. The car rams itself hard into the truck from the side to make it lose control, but the truck hardly budges. The cop sitting on the passenger seat in the car chasing Sweet Tooth from the other side lowers his window, and aims at the ice-cream truck with his shotgun.

BAM! BAM!

The cop fires continuously at the truck, as the spray of bullets are barely leaving small dents on the truck's frame upon contact. From behind the driver's wheel, Sweet Tooth is completely focused, driving straight ahead on the open road in spite the situation he's in. He refuses to blink as his eye reflects the landscape ahead of him, just as the cameraman's camera lens is reflecting the ice-cream truck, as the news station is broadcasting the chase to the whole country, with millions of people watching in their respective locations.

**In a shady neighborhood...**

Inside a closed garage, a dark-skinned man is lifting heavy weights, sitting on a crate with a bunch of scrap metal and tools laying around the floor. A giant wheel is seen behind the man, who grunts upon putting his weights down. The man then walks to another part of the garage, walking by his small TV, which is showing the chase.

"_Witnesses say that the driver then came out of the vehicle with a machete and killed the family of five inside one by one._" The news reporter said, "_Officials suspect Sweet Tooth to be the perpetrator, as the murderer dropped a paper bag -with the disembodied head of the Stillwell's family youngest son, Billy Ray Stillwell- on the front steps of the Police Station upon driving by 10 minutes after the incident._"

**In a downtown district...**

Inside an old apartment building of a city, a woman is inside her dark apartment, with the windows boarded up, and the pink, wood-rotten walls covered in fashion model posters, which are filled with scratches and graffiti over the models' faces. The woman is wearing a bath robe and a white mask, as she is drawing a happy face over her reflection in the mirror on the wall with red lipstick. She continues to draw as her TV is on the channel where the chase is being broadcasted.

**In a small home...**

A man with a black top and blue jeans is eating raw meat with a knife on a plastic dish, sitting on his messy couch in front of his big screen TV, eating his food on a small folding eating table. The man watches the chase intensely, as the TV is the only lit object in the room, giving light to part vicinity around it, including the man's skull-shaped helmet lying next to him.

**Back at the chase...**

The reporter grips onto her mic harder, gritting her teeth at Sweet Tooth's truck, "Policemen that went after Sweet Tooth on Road 95 north of Quartszite moments later were then found dead upon making contact with the serial killer moments ago. Police officials from around the region are now focusing on Sweet Tooth's capture, deploying their best policemen to apprehend this monster by any means necessary!"

Back on the road, Sweet Tooth looks at his side view mirror, seeing the police car on his left maintaining its distance. The clown then shifts his gaze at the car to his right as he then steers towards it, attempting to ram it.

"Ah!" The cop with the shotgun quickly gets back in his seat, as his partner quickly steers away from the ice cream truck, avoiding contact as it drives further away from the road.

"Okay, floor it!" The cop on the passenger seat of the car on Sweet Tooth's left side exclaimed, as his partner stomps on the gas pedal. The car accelerates, quickly getting next to Sweet Tooth's window. The cop on the passenger seat lowers his window, and takes out his shotgun, aiming for Sweet Tooth's head. As the cop is about to pull the trigger, Sweet Tooth turns his head towards him, catching the cop off guard with his gaze. "Gah!" The cop blinks in surprise as he then he fires his weapon, but Sweet Tooth hits the brakes moments before the trigger is pulled, avoiding the shells. "Dammit!"

"Whoa!" The cops behind Sweet Tooth gasp as they hit the brakes, stopping inches behind the Killer Clown's truck. The police car on the left then does a U-turn, going across the other side of the road, as it and the other police car behind it drive full speed on the desert path towards the truck.

"Heh heh!" Sweet Tooth laughed as he then hits a small red button on his steering wheel, activating his truck's turbo boosters, immediately getting some distance from the cops behind.

The policeman are surprised, as they then hit the gas pedal and chase after Sweet Tooth with determined looks.

BOOM!

The police car explodes upon going over a land mine Sweet Tooth's truck placed before activating his turbo boosters. The destroyed, burning car flips over to its back, crushing the policemen inside as the flames burn their skin. The cop car at the rear crashes into the destroyed vehicle, skidding across the payment uncontrollably as its driver lies dead in his seat, having debris of the destroyed vehicle piercing into his forehead. "No!" The policeman in the passenger's seat cried in pain, having shards of the car's windshield in his eye, bleeding profusely as the car then drives off the road, falling and standing in place on its side.

"You bastard!" One of the policemen exclaimed angrily, as the two remaining cars go full speed at the ice-cream truck. Sweet Tooth shifts his gaze at the cars with his visible eye half-open, instantly steering his vehicle directly at his assailants. The policeman on the passenger seat in the car in front peers out his window with his shotgun again and fires at Sweet Tooth. Suddenly, the truck hops off the ground, as the shotgun round hits the truck's left spike, leaving a small scratch upon impact. "UGH!?"

The ice-cream truck lands on top of the hood of the police car, crushing it hard with its immense weight. Sweet Tooth activates his turbo boosters again, running over the rest of the police vehicle, running over the policemen inside, splitting them apart from their waists, crushing them into a gory mess of blood and bits in just a few seconds. The ice-cream truck gets back on the ground and turbo boosts towards the remaining vehicle, as the flattened car behind the truck explodes in a fiery fashion shortly afterwards.

"Nooo!" Horrified, the driver of the remaining car steers towards his right to flee, but his car's previous momentum caused it to drift towards Sweet Tooth instead. "AH!" The policemen inside cried, as Sweet Tooth then rams into their vehicle, denting the side's center, piercing through the vehicle with the truck's spikes, as the left center spike is covered in the blood of both officers.

**Meanwhile...**

"_Th-This just in,_" The News Reporter exclaimed in a surprised tone, as someone sitting on a big, black, leather chair, in an office on a high floor of a building, is watching the broadcast with his laptop on his desk, "_Sweet Tooth just killed every police officer chasing him on ground! Th-Th-This is unbelievable! Is he truly the monster people make him out to be!?_"

"Hmm hm hm hm hm!" The man on the chair smiles wickedly, with his elbows on his desk, hands cupped together, "He's amusing as always."

**Back with Sweet Tooth...**

As smoke begins to appear from the pierced vehicle, Sweet Tooth looks down at his steering wheel, breathing slowly as he holds the steering wheel with a tight grip. His mind is at unease, thinking deeply again. He then hears a whistling sound, causing him to raise his head a little. He quickly drives away from the spot he was on, where a missile lands and explodes upon impact.

BOOM!

Sweet Tooth drifts away from the explosion as the armed helicopter has begun its assault. The helicopter fires its mini-guns at Sweet Tooth, who drifts away from the bullets hitting the desert ground, knocking the sand up in the air. The killer clown then takes a sharp turn back on the road, with the momentum knocking the pierced car onto the desert on the side. Sweet Tooth then ignites his turbo boosters, headings towards the helicopter with bloodshot eyes.

"COME ON! MAKE ME WHOLE!" Sweet Tooth cried as he drives past a set of blue wavy lines, flying gently a few inches from the sand.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy line fly circles around a newspaper being blown by a gust of wind, as on the sidewalk on the other side of the empty street, Dante walks forward, holding his sword over his shoulder with a brood exterior. He walks alone in an empty block of the ruins of Limbo City, where most of the buildings here are damaged and age-worn, but are in better condition compared to the rest of them in the city. Around a corner of a four-way street is a run down, five floor apartment building, which has several shattered windows on different parts of each floor. Dante heads towards the apartment, and goes inside through the broken glass front door.

Dante goes up to the fourth floor, walking along the dusty hallway on the left side of the building, passing by the wooden walls rotting at different areas, the brown wallpaper above it torn apart, and the paper flooring damaged with dead rats and cockroaches lying on the side. Dante walks towards the end of the hall, and faces towards the door to his right, Room 426. He takes out his key from his coat pocket, and opens the door. He takes a step inside, and flips the switches on the wall, turning on the lights of his apartment.

Dante's apartment is big enough for one person to live in, having the living room to the left, the kitchen to the right, and bedroom and bathroom at the end of the hall in between. The walls have a dark yellow wallpaper, with the upper sections brightened up by the lights on the white ceiling. The living room has a white carpet floor, which is dusty, full of different colored stains, insect residue on some parts and whatnot. An untidy bed with grey and white bed sheets is also in the living room, which is up against the front window of the building and against a wall on its left side. Right of the bed is a small fridge big enough to fit in drinks and a few food, and next to it, on the left corner of the apartment is a medium-sized television set on a rectangular shelf, with a police radio on the remaining space. On the right side of the apartment, the kitchen has a dusty counter, a sink next to it, an open broken fridge between the sink and a corner of the right wall, a broken oven and dishwasher up against the same wall, and top and bottom shelves with some of them open, not having anything inside.

The Demon Hunter closes the door behind him, as he places his sword up against his back, with the blade dissolving into a yellow light before fading into thin air. Dante takes off his coat and throws over a chair in front of the counter, as he then makes his way towards the bed, taking off his gun holster around the back of his waist and placing them on the end of his bed. "Haaa..." Dante falls back on his bed, sighing in relief as he closes his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

BZZTT!

"Agh!" Dante groans as he hears his 'doorbell' ring. He pushes himself off his bed. With half open eyes, the demon hunter cracks his neck, as he heads over to his door and opens it.

"Hey! Finally found you!" Said a girl behind the door. She is around Dante's age, standing in 5'5" ft/ 1.65 m tall, with a pale complexion, short brown hair, grey-green eyes, and several mystic tattoos on her arms and a small blue star tattoo on her forehead. She is wearing a blue hoodie that has an orange body and blue sleeves; three necklaces around her neck, small to long from top to bottom, with the longest having a silver pendant; denim short-shorts; thick, knee-high socks; brown boots; a stencils tube slung over her back; and a brown belt with a spray pant in the belt's slot on the side. She is a human who helped Dante in his time of need, aiding him in ending the demon rule, and giving his life a purpose again - Kat.

Dante smirks upon noticing Kat, "Heh! This is a surprise. I didn't know you were gonna show today."

"I'm surprised you're clothed this time." Kat replied jokingly. "It's a good thing I came sooner than later."

Dante shakes his head with a chuckle, "Ha ha! Yeah, um..." He doesn't know what to say, feeling a little tired from his patrol, "So do you need to use the bathroom? It's in the back."

"Heh. I'll pass." Kat then walks into Dante's apartment, passing by him as Dante then closes the door, "I just finished tagging the block you were in. I thought I could take a little break and catch up with you." Kat then looks around at Dante's apartment, smiling at the scenery before her, "Looks like you've made yourself at home."

"It's no trailer, but I have the whole place to myself." Dante then walks over to his small fridge, "The 'friendly neighborhood army' gave me a generator to power this apartment up for a few days. They always come by to recharge it when I'm off saving their buddies in some other part of town."

"The people here are grateful to have you, Dante." Kat assured, waving her hand outward, "They wouldn't bother doing this at all if that weren't the case."

Dante bends over as he opens his fridge, "Yeah, well pushing a loudmouth on their ass is just as pleasant as that thought; I'll give it that much." Dante closes the fridge as he turns towards Kat with a alcohol bottle labeled '666'. "Want a sip?"

"No, thanks." Kat said with a smirk as she rolls her eyes, and walks towards the kitchen counter.

"Suit yourself." Dante then takes a drink from the bottle, as he sits on his bed, while Kat stands around the kitchen counter.

"So I went over to the construction site you were in earlier." Kat picks up speck of dust off the counter and flicks it away, "The demons showed up south of the site and from a building next to it. The site looks..." Kat then looks sad, as she trails off what she was going to say, "The good news is that I tagged those entryways so that they would end up in a non-inhabited area nearby. There won't be any more attacks at the site without alarming the army and the police beforehand."

"It's getting worse out there, Kat," Dante said, looking out the window, "Two weeks ago it was just the goopy doll demons. A week later, the flying babies began to show, and today, I fought a regular doll bastard at the construction site, one of the many that will show up later, just like the formers. The army and the police can barely handle two types of demons together. I can already imagine what's going to happen when the real tough demons begin to show."

"My seals are slowing them down. They are losing the shortest routes that lead to the camps. The more seals I create, the easier for you and the army to see coming and strike down." Kat said as she walks up towards Dante from the side, "Things are getting better now, Dante. It's not like how it started." Kat then smiles, "With how things are progressing, we are on our way giving Limbo City back to hands of humanity. Soon, the whole world will be united to keep the demons away for good."

Dante looks down at his carpet, nodding a little a moment later, "Let's do our best to keep it that way then." Dante said, as he then takes another sip from his liquor bottle. The two then grew quiet, with Dante staring longingly at his reflection from his TV, looking disturbed by it. An uncomfortable aura began to brew from the silence, as Kat looks away while holding her arm, pondering how to say the next bit of news to Dante.

"Dante..." Kat bites her bottom lip, as she then looks at Dante, "I went to your old house." She pauses, seeing Dante not reacting to her words, "I... searched all over - I found nothing but a few blood stains on your father's tomb... Dante... the blood belongs to Vergil." Dante's eyes squint upon hearing that name, "The stains are a few days old. I tried tracking his whereabouts from there, but his trail disappeared at the front gate." Kat looks at Dante with sad eyes, getting closer to him, "Dante, it's not too late! Vergil should still be around here somewhere! If we find him - and just talk with him-"

"There is nothing to talk about," Dante interrupts, glaring at his reflection, "If talking didn't work then, it won't do anything now."

"W-We don't know if we don't try-"

Dante strokes his hair from the front to back, distressed by the current topic, "Kat... we've been through this... just drop it already, please..."

"He's your brother, Da-"

"IT'S F%^%ING OVER, KAT!" Dante exclaimed furiously, immediately standing close up to Kat, who takes a step back from Dante's outburst, "The whole time we've been together trying to kill Mundus, Vergil fought for HIS goals! He's no better than all those bastards that wanted us dead from the get-go!" Dante then points to his window, "You see that out there? Vergil is going to destroy all of it, all of the work we've done to keep this city safe! You and I need to be prepared when he comes, because he's not going to stop until he succeeds, and I'll be damned to let that happen! The only way to stop him is to finish him for good!"

Kat, while appearing intimidated, stands her ground, staring into Dante's glare without looking away, "... I know there is still good in him - I don't want to give up on him, and I know you don't neither. I don't want see you two fight again... I don't know if I can bear it the second time."

"Then you should have let me killed him when I had the chance." Dante replied bitterly, sitting back down on his bed, as he then chugs the liquor bottle without slowing down.

Kat watches on sadly, as she then grows stern. She goes over to the counter, picking up her stencil tube, and slings over her back. She then faces back at Dante, "I'm going to make some tags at the Central Plaza. Having that place secure will give the army a better terrain advantage." She then walks to the front door, and opens it. She takes a step forward, and stops as she looks down at the ground, as she then looks at Dante over her shoulder, "Vergil is alone out there... we can still save him." Kat looks away briefly, looking back at Dante with a weak smile as she then walks out the apartment, closing the door behind with a saddened expression.

Dante stares blankly at the door Kat left through, over their argument. Ever since he departed ways with Vergil, he can't stop thinking about him. Dante knows that Vergil must not get his way or everything he has done for humanity will be all for nothing. Despite knowing that, Vergil is still his brother. Dante can't help but feel bad for him from time to time. He would do anything to save what is left of his family, but he knows Vergil well enough to know that it won't do any good. Dante drinks the remaining portion of the alcohol inside the bottle, as he then tosses the glass to the side, with the glass shattering upon landing. Dante strokes his face, with his hands going to the side of his head. He stares dazedly at his reflection on his TV, visualizing Vergil looking back at him with a snarl.

"Damn it..." Dante sighed irritably, as he lies down on his bed, trying to sleep off his frustration. As he rests his arm over his eyes, blue wavy lines fly by his window outside.

**^ O X []**

BOOM!

A small explosion blows up a pile of boulders on top of a mountain of the Wastelands -a large desert island consisting of a sandy and rocky terrain- creating a dust cloud in the process. Blue wavy lines are seen flying out of the cloud, as moments later, a figure lands on his feet into the cloud, dispersing it as he stands upright. He is a big, muscular man, wearing big pieces of bronze, jagged armor, on his shoulders, left forearm, and on his legs, held in place by thick blue spiky straps across the bare parts his body. He wears a loose cloth around his waist, orange bandages around his left hand, and a bronze mask over his face with spikes at the front, with several blue straps around his skull hanging the mask in place. His eyes look wildly from his visor, as he raises his scimitar in anger.

"RAAAAGHH!" The Marauder howls as his team -wearing clothes similar to his- come over to the ledge he is on, aiming their rifles at their targets from afar. They fire at the desert terrain below, with their bullets hitting the sand, missing constantly as the tough residents of the Wastelands - The Wastelanders - drive fast towards the Marauder base with their vehicles.

"We got their attention! Hold them off!" A heavily-clothed man riding one of the vehicles yelled, as he and a half of dozen buggy-like vehicles of different variations drive at full speed towards at the Marauders' small mountain base. Some of them fire back the cliff above with the turrets on their vehicle, shooting one Marauder off of it, as the other Marauders retreat from their field of vision.

The Marauders regroup, running around in their small base comprised of rocky walls, ragged tents, and their vehicles, all around and apart from the medium-sized dark eco crystal at the base's center, which radiates a dark energy over part of the rock around it, engulfing it with a black goop substance. A Marauder yells at another, as they get on board their catapult vehicle, which is a heavy-duty vehicle with a catapult mounted on a large buggy chassis covered in a green-camo designed ramshackle armor, bearing multiple spikes on the side. The Marauder Catapults drive near the edge of the cliff side, and hurl flaming boulders to the Wastelanders.

"Incoming!" The buggys below scatter, avoiding the boulders as the flames splatter upon landing. As the buggys try to regroup, Marauders on the desert terrain show up with their buggys, which have multiple spikes on almost every part of their frame, with a turret mounted on the top. The Marauders riding their buggys scream wildly as they fire their turrets at the Wastelander units. "Fall back!" The Wastlanders take a few shots from the Marauders as they turn around to regroup, as more flaming boulders fall around them, some of them hitting the Marauder buggys.

The Marauders on the cliff base laugh maniacally, even at their own allies getting crushed by their boulders. They then stop upon hearing a sound above them getting louder. The Marauders look up to see a Haven City Air Train - a blue, large block-shaped vehicle with the front windows slanted inward and small wings at the side - flying over the base, casting it's shadow over them. "GRAGHH!" The Marauders angrily fire their rifles at the air train, which circles around the base to avoid the shots. It then stops and hovers over the base's left side, opening its hatch on it's back. As the hatch opens midway, a grenade flies out from the opening, directly landing over a Marauder Catapult.

BOOM!

The vehicle explodes in flames, knocking away most of the Marauders that stood near it, startling the rest of them from afar. More grenades fly out one by one, hitting the remaining catapults and some of the tents on the other side of the base, scattering the Marauders away from each other and taking down most of the riflemen on the cliffside. As the Marauders are distracted from the explosions, a figure jumps out of the air train, landing roughly through a ragged tent below. "AAAGGHHH!" A Marauder screamed, as he brandishes his scimitar and runs inside the tent to attack the figure.

BAM!

"UGH!" A red cone-shaped blast blows the Marauder out of the tent, which collapses onto itself shortly afterwards. The figure inside struggles a little to remove the tent off of him, and comes out into view, revealing to be Jak and Daxter, with Jak removing the Red Mod from his Scatter gun, reverting his weapon back to the Morph gun. Daxter, standing on all fours over Jak's shoulder pad, smirk at the Marauders.

"Say hello to my BIG friend!" Daxter exclaimed, as Jak equips his gun with a Blue Mod, turning it into a blue gatling-like gun known as the Vulcan Fury. Jak smirks as he aims the Vulcan Fury at the Marauders at the mid-distance and fires rapidly at them, shooting most of them down, leaving holes in the walls and destroying the tents behind them in the process. Jak continuously fires at his targets while swaying his gun left and right, as a Marauder near a blown catapult charges at Jak from his right. "Jak! Three o'clock incoming!" Jak grits his teeth, as he reverts the Vulcan Fury back to the Morph Gun, and squats as low as he can, avoiding an inward horizontal slash from the Marauder. "Waaah!" Daxter clings onto Jak's shoulder as Jak quickly jumps in the air, avoiding an outward slash. The Marauder looks up at Jak, who dives straight down at the ground with a Super Dive Attack, creating a small shock wave upon landing.

"Guughh!" The wave knocks the Maruader on his back, as Jak stands back up, seeing more of them charging straight at him.

"Quit wasting my time!" Jak exclaimed as he equips the Yellow Mod to his Morph Gun, elongating its barrels and bulkying its stock to form the Blaster. Jak aims and shoots down one of the Marauders, as another one gets close while raising his scimitar over his head. The Marauder screams as he brings his blade down, but Jak rolls sideways to avoid. At the mid-point of his roll, Jak equips the Red mod, turning his gun back to the Scatter Gun, as he stands on one knee at the end of his roll and shoots the Marauder away from the side. Jak dashes forward, shooting down every Marauder he gets close to, as three of them charge at him in unison. Jak stands on one leg and does a spin with his arms and leg spread out, knocking the Marauders away with his leg, weapon, and Daxter clinging onto Jak's shoulder pad. Jak then sees a Marauder from a distance hurrying to grab a rifle from the ground, as he then falls on his back at the end of his spin and equips his Blaster. The Marauder grabs the rifle and aims at Jak, but is then shot down by Jak in the face. Smoke trails from the Blaster's barrel as Jak and Daxter pant and smirk towards each other in their moment of peace.

"Yaaaaaahh!" Their moment ends, as the remaining Marauder casts his shadow over Jak and Daxter from behind, raising his scimitar over his head to strike down with full force.

"Oh no you don't!" Daxter leaps into the Marauder's face, startling the thug as he takes a step back, "You've just pissed off a Precursor, buddy! Have a taste of some orange lightning!" Daxter crawls all around the Marauder, scratching and biting around the bare parts of his body in the process. The Marauder twitches, as he tries to grab Daxter, giving Jak the chance to roll away. Daxter then stands on the Marauder's head and sticks his tongue out at him while making hand gestures beside his head. The Marauder growls as he holds his sword firmly and brings up towards Daxter, who jumps off, causing the Marauder to hit himself on the head with the back of his blade, making him lose his balance. Daxter gets back with Jak, who winds his fist at the dazed Marauder "Ha ha! Let's finish him off, Jak!"

"HIYAA!" Jak leaps forward at the Maruader below his waistline. The Marauder looks down, as Jak jumps up to him and gives him a devastating uppercut right across the jaw, sending the Marauder up in the air. The last Marauder falls unconciously on the ground with a loud thud, as Jak lands on both feet victoriously shortly afterwards.

Daxter hops off Jak's shoulder, getting on the Marauder's chest to dance on him, "Uh huh! That's right! When this Precursor tells you to sit down, you better sit down, kiddo!" Daxter exclaimed, as he then looks at Jak at the corner of his eye in a bold manner, "A little sloppy at the end there, but nice job following my lead for the most part, Jak."

Jak rolled his eyes, smiling at Daxter while shaking his head. Jak and Daxter then look over to the Dark Eco crystal, as the Air Train hovers over the base, ready to land.

**Moments later...**

In a desert terrain in the northern part of the Wastelands, the Wastelanders carry parts of the Marauder Buggys they destroyed in their battle to their base, keeping a distance from the Dark Eco Crystal retrieved from the mountain. the Dark Eco Crystal is carefully placed inside a metal container over a loading platform, as three Haven City soldiers -all having tattoos on their face, wearing red visors and black clothing underneath their blue plated armor, with a yellow scarf diagonally around their torsos- take the container into the Air Train. As the soldiers prepare to leave, Jak and Daxter walk towards the front gates of Spargus -a parched, arenaceous burg situated along the northern coast of the Wastelands- where the King sees them approaching with a proud grin.

The King of Spargus is a dark-skinned, green-eyed, muscular man, standing in 6'6" ft/1.98 m tall, having a synthetic red left eye, with metallic roots clutching into his skin. He wears a dark brown shirt and light brown pants underneath his silver metal plates of armor on his shins, chest, and shoulders, with the shoulder plates resembling the skull of a metallic creature; A light thick brown cloth around his waist, with its curvy tail ending behind his calfs, tied in place with a yellow sash that has a few red pouches and a green flask hanging from it; large dark blue gloves; and a head protector covering his jaw, chin, and head, which resembles a smaller skull variant from the ones on his shoulders. A proud, but often a laid-back warrior, who is always loyal to his friends and is never afraid to go into dangerous situations - Sig.

"Now here's a duo I'll never get tired of seeing!" Sig exclaimed proudly with open arms as Jak and Daxter stand in front of hin side by side, "You two really put some work out there! Those Marauders will think twice before trying to take us from a higher terrain now."

"Implying those guys can actually think," Daxter remarked, "I lost a few brain cells back there seeing how stupid they were, thinking they can take us after we've trampled them 100 times before."

"We're happy to have helped, Sig." Jak said with a smile, "This place means a lot to us, so feel free to call us when you need a hand."

"Trust me, I'm embarrassed enough as it is dragging you guys here," Sig said, avoiding eye contact with a weak smile. He then looks at weaponstaff he's holding with his right hand, "If I could, I would've personally handled the situation myself, but Kings can't go out and risk their lives over every single thing. It's not a "proper" way to behave, or so I've heard."

"You're telling us," Daxter said, crossing his arms with a sigh, "Jak and I risk our butts again and again to keep this world going, yet we're still doing grunt work. You'd think us role models could inspire others to do our job every now and then."

"As if anyone in their right mind would follow your footsteps..."

Daxter, Jak, and Sig look over to the right, and sees someone glaring at them from afar. Like Daxter, he's an Ottsel, but with brown-orange fur instead of the typical bright orange. He has brown spots mostly over his limbs and head, with brown hair growing on the sides of his head, and big brown eyebrows. He is wearing a tan waistcoat over a white, puffy sleeved shirt; a red cravat around his neck; and brown, worn-out spats around his ankles. Once a human, an arrogant power broker who used immoral methods to control others, is now a creature he always dreamt for, which leaves MUCH to be desired - Count Veggie.

"W-What!? No!" Veggie turns around, shaking his fist at the sky angrily, "It's Veger! Count VEGER! What is this Count Veggie nonsense!?" The trio look at each other, baffled by 'Veger's' random outburst, as Daxter smirks at the angry Ottsel.

"Heh-hey, if it ain't Count Loser," Daxter chortled, "I've almost forgotten about you. It's weird too, because for some reason I always imagine your mug whenever I go take a dump."

Veger turns towards Daxter with a glare, "I will never be forgotten! As long as I draw breath, I will stop at nothing to purify this world with a light that will purge filth such as you!"

"You need to let things go, Veger," Jak said with his arms crossed, "Things are better now, believe it or not. The best thing you can do for yourself is to accept reality for the way it is."

"Don't patronize me, you dark eco freak!" Veger scowled at Jak, "This world is infested with darkness, lingering in every hidden corner, waiting to strike like today!" He then points at Jak and Daxter, "You two have doomed us all with your actions! Activiting Eco Cores only distracts everyone from the real danger at hand! The darkness WILL come, and will swallow every single living thing into its void, never to be seen again!"

"Nyah nyah nyah! I'm Count Veeeger! I need a night-light to keep me safe or I will wet the bed!" Daxter mocked Veger, mimicking his voice while doing hand gestures and goofy expressions, as Jak and Sig chuckle.

"Mock me while you can; you won't be laughing when Judgment Day is upon us." Veger sneered at Daxter, as he then looks at Jak, who looks back with a silent glare, "And don't think this is over between us, Jak! You will rue the day for your crimes against humanity! And when you do, I will be there to - GUCK!" A big hand grabs him by his head and torso, with its fingers squeezing his cheeks hard enough to make his eyes bulge out in a goofy manner.

"Who said you could wonder around by yourself?" Said a big burly Wastelander with an Australian accent, as he picks up Veger from the sand and forcefully places him on his shoulder with a thump, "I don't like it when you leave me quarters without notice. Do you want me to get the glue again?"

"N-No! I just finished scraping it off my toesies..." Veger said nervously, looking at his toes with a sad expression.

The Wastelander is an overweight, middle-aged man, standing in 6"4' ft/ 1.93 m tall. He is bald on the top of his head, with blonde hair growing on the back, reaching down to his high-set shoulders, and has a mustache that goes below his chin. He is wearing a white shirt and a diaper covered by the front and back of his tattered patches of clothing, held together in place by a brown wide band around his abdomen; a large, metallic shoulder plate decorated with tusks on his left shoulder; pieces of armor over his knees and feet; and brown straps and bandages around his forearms. He is a tough Wastelander, well known for intimidating others with his persona, especially to a certain duo that always get the better of him - Kleiver.

"You're going to be scraping other things off if I catch you running off again," Kleiver glared at the timid Veger on his large shoulder plate. He then looks over at Jak and Daxter, not amused, "Well, well, if it ain't the little macho heroes, gracing us with their presence after 'their' mission today. You two buggers sure are perverts for attention, eh?"

"We came here because we were asked to." Jak replied stoically.

"Ooooh, that makes it MORE honorable." Kleiver scoffed, "It's bad enough that we have to ask blokes from the Big Smoke to pamper us, but to help you guys look better out there puts a damper in how things work around here."

"Ha!" Daxter chuckled, "And where were you when we were out there, huh? It's hard to NOT see you in the horizon."

"Now why would I risk me hide when the perfect couple has everything under control? Besides, there are more important things to do here than to make you ankle biters look good. You two can go play with your audience's emotions, while you let the big boys do their job." Kleiver than scratches his head in annoyance, "Blah! I've already wasted enough energy talking to you nibblers. Don't show yourselves to me again!" Kleiver turns and walks to the front gate, as he looks at Veger, "The next time they show up, make some bloody jokes! Be more like that rodent from now on."

"Oh God no..." Veger whimpered, as he and Kleiver walk away.

"So Jak, how about staying over for the day?" Sig asked with a big smile, "We'll have a big 'ol party just to celebrate the occasion."

"Thanks Sig, but we've have to get going back to Haven." Jak replied with a smile, "I promised Keira I would be with her during Samos' lessons."

"A little quality time with the love interest, huh? Ha ha! Don't let me stop you."

"Okay, okay, let's vamos!" Daxter said, walking towards the Air Train, "I have a girl at home waiting to use her Daxter points she's been saving for days."

"You chilipeppers have a safe trip! Feel free to stop by anytime!"

Sig and Jak wave goodbye to each other, as Sig then goes into Spargus with the remaining Wastelanders. Jak turns to leave, as he sees the Air Train hovering up into the air, which baffles Daxter, "Hey! Where are you going!? You forgot us!" Daxter waved his arms at the Train, which flies off to the desert region. Daxter is dumbfounded, as Jak taps his shoulder, getting his attention as he then points Daxter to their HellCat cruiser, a red triangular-shaped, heavy-duty zoomer, with two accelerators in the back, with a rear-facing dual turret, and two available seats with a metal bar arching over the top separating each seat.

"The idea was to go back with the cruiser." Jak said, as he pats Daxter on the shoulder, "It'd be too crampt inside the Air Train with the crystal in it. Plus, it will give those rookies some experience."

Daxter throws up his head with a loud sigh, as Jak then walks to the cruiser. Daxter soon follows with a perplexed expression, "Why didn't we just bring the Hellcat instead?"

"Keira is still fixing it after that stunt you did last time."

"Hey! I saved our butts that time and you know it!"

Jak and Daxter get on the cruiser's seats, as Jak turns the vehicle on. The engines roar, as the cruiser hovers a few inches from the ground, accelerators igniting in the process. Jak then pilots the cruiser away, blowing the sand behind it in the air, going across the desert terrain in a steady speed.

"We'll get there around an hour, so let's enjoy the sights while we can."

"Yeah, you do that." Daxter gets comfy in his seat, resting the back of his head over his hands, "Wake me up... when we get to... smoochieville..."

Daxter falls into a deep sleep, as Jack laughs silently to himself. The cruiser heads deeper into the desert, with a few blue wavy lines following it inches behind it.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines flow down along a waterfall, flying out of it midway as it smoothly goes up and down over the stone floor nearby, slowly going by Heihachi, who doesn't see the waves in front of him as he is in deep meditation. With his arms and legs crossed, Heihachi's brow furrows, exhaling through his nostrils calmly recollecting moments from his past.

_Heihachi smirks with his arms crossed at a man bound in chains in a big hole. A dump truck backs up next to the hole as it unloads a pile of dirt over the man, whose eyes widen in agony, "DAMN YOU, HEI-!" The man cried as the hole is filled, burying him alive._

_A boy cried as tumbles near an edge of a cliff. Covered in bruises, the boy weakly pushes himself up on his hands and knees, gazing at the chasm next to him. The boy nervously turns to crawl away, but Heihachi gets in his way as he picks the boy off the ground with one hand by his throat, choking him mercilessly. __"You are weak!" Heihachi exclaimed as he walks to edge of the cliff and holds the boy over the chasm, "If you do not survive this, then you don't deserve to live under my name!" Heihachi pulls the child back and hurls the boy into the chasm. The boy cries as he falls into the darkness below._

_A young man gasps, as a soldier with a gas mask shoots him repeatedly with a machine gun. The man collapses onto his back, raising his head and extending his hand to Heihachi in front of him, who stands between his men as he aims his gun at the wounded man's head._

_BAM!_

Heihachi remains composed upon reflecting on those moments, as his mind goes blank once again. Suddenly, Heihachi's muscles begin to tense, seeing the face of a young woman, causing his eyebrows to furrow and his teeth to grit in anger.

_"If you are to kill me... remember that I will always love you..."_

Blue electricity then courses along Heihachi's arms back and forth, as Heihachi breathes slowly to calm down while in his meditative state. He eventually regains his composure, as his muscles relax, causing the electricity around his arms to slowly disappear.

"This aura... where is it coming from?" Heihachi thinks to himself with furrowed eyebrows.

As Heihachi continues to meditate, one of the old, long trees far behind Heihachi begins to tumble slightly towards the old warrior, stopping almost instantly at a high angle. The tree's roots are old and rotten, but are still strong enough to support the tree from completely falling down. The sound of it falling was loud enough for anyone in the back yard to hear it, but Heihachi continues to meditate as if he didn't hear anything.

The blue wavy lines from before spirals around the tree's branches, as it then flies up towards the bright sky.

**^ O X []**

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

In the main floor of the Hall of Heroes, Sir Daniel Fortesque is bumping his skull against his statue's leg in a constant pace, being in an even more drunkard state than before. He has bottles wedged between his spine and his armor's neck hole, with his bones doused of the bottle's liquor, which drips onto the floor beneath his feet from his armor. His heroic friends stare at him from afar in awe, having mixed feelings over Sir Daniel's behavior.

"I dun' think it could get worse." Dirk Steadfast said.

"I really don't like seeing Danny act like this." Imanzi said, shaking her head in sadness.

Bloodmonath spits at the ground to his side, "So she never came back. So what? He has an eternity to find another soul mate."

"That's not how it works, Blood." Ravenhooves said with his arms crossed, "A loved one is like a part of your body. If it's gone, you'll always remember having it."

"Ja. Sir Daniel dose not deserve this." Karl Stungard said, rubbing the back of his helmet.

"Either way, this is his trial." Stanyer said, taking a step forward, "It will take a long time, but he'll accept this one day."

"It wasn't his fault, so he'll eventually see this through." Woden commented, as he then takes a sip of his drink.

"Sir Daniel..." Canny Tim looks on Sir Daniel, deeply saddened to see his former leader in the state that he's in.

Sir Daniel then bumps his against his statue's leg one last time, as he lays his skull upon it, looking down at his statue's feet as his eye begins to water.

**FLASHBACK**

Sir Daniel rides the time machine through the void of time and space, heading back to Gallowmere. A portal opens at the end of the void, as Sir Daniel ignites the time machine's thrusters, flying out of the portal with great speed. The time machine slows down as it hovers around a meadow in a circle, gently landing on top of it. The time machine turns off as Sir Daniel wipes the non-existant sweat off his skull. He looks over to his right to see if his beloved is all right from the trip.

On Sir Daniel's lap is a woman, who, like Sir Daniel, is also a living corpse. She is a mummy, standing around 6 ft/ 1.82 m tall, with a skinny, hourglass figure. She has light blue skin, green eyes, red lips, and black hair with her bangs held back by her golden tiara on her head. She is wearing a broad golden necklace around her neck, a red piercing over her bellybutton, bronze boots with laces, and has bandages wrapped around parts of her body such as her thighs, upper legs, chest, and arms, with some of the bandages having holes in them. She was an Egyptian Princess, chosen to 'join' her new husband in the afterlife. She awakens from her eternal slumber hundreds of years later, and is rescued a few times by Sir Daniel, who she is now eternally grateful for - Princess Kiya.

Kiya looks at Sir Daniel, happy to have made it in his time safe and sound. The two stare at each other before they kiss under the full moon light.

Over the past several nights, they begin to enjoy their time together. They would spend one night running across the cemetery while holding hands, and another day entering dangerous locations to fight deadly monsters. They once had a picnic on a meadow in a dark cloudy night, unintentionally scaring a passerby out of his pants. They spend another night watching the full moon on the hill where Sir Daniel's grave is located, feeling the breeze pass their cold undead bodies, and in another night, they spent their time on a boat over the lake, spending hours and hours staring into each other's eyes with love and passion. At the end of each, wonderful night, they would kiss as the wolves howl in the background and with a swarm of bats squeaking as they fly off towards the moonlight. Sir Daniel thought this happiness was going to last forever.

But on one night, on top of the same meadow and under the same moonlight they came back in, Sir Daniel looks on horrified, seeing Kiya face her back towards him.

"Please forgive me, Sir Daniel... but I must do this..."

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Tears pour out of Sir Daniel's eye, as he sobs uncontrollably over his statue's base. "MmmmmM-hmm-haaa!" He whimpers loudly as he can't get a hold of himself. Just then, a hand places over Sir Daniel's shoulder. Sir Daniel stops crying momentarily as Megwynne Stormbinder gently holds Daniel's arm with her other hand.

"It's okay, Sir Daniel," She said with a soft smile, "It is alright for you to be sad. Many of us have not seen our loved ones since our passing and understand your sorrow. You don't have to go through with this alone; we are your comrades-at-arms; we are your friends." The heroes stand side-by-side, each expressing how proud they feel to be by Sir Daniel's side in their own way. Megwynne then pulls out every bottle Sir Daniel has on him, "You don't have to hide your feelings from us. We're here for you, Sir Daniel. Let us be a part of your afterlife."

Sir Daniel raises his head as he pushes himself away from his statue with one hand. Megwynne backs away a little as she and the others see Sir Daniel look over to him.

BUURRRRRPPPP!

The heroes blinked as Sir Daniel is still too drunk to think clearly as drunkenly turns around and falls on his rear up against his statue. His eyes swirls around as his blurred vision is causing him to tilt his head left and right in confusion.

"Um... can we take that as a 'thank you'?" Stanyer asked the others with a shrug. The others nodded in agreement as they leave to continue their festive night. Megwynne chuckles lightheartedly as she then also leaves Sir Daniel, who is mainting his blurred gaze at the ceiling, where blue wavy lines are seen flying by.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines swirl close to the ceiling, avoiding the ceiling fan's blade with ease. They eventually fade into thin air, as sunlight shines over the bed in the room.

"Mmh.." Nathan opens his eyes, staring up at the ceiling with a blurred his vision. His eyesight slowly adjusts, as he brings up his arm and rubs his temples to relieve the grogginess. He yawns as he stretches his arms apart, waking up to see him covered by a blanket up to his chest. He slowly leans over his left arm, turning over to the rest of the bed, "Morning, Ho-?" Drake stops as he sees an empty space. "-sigh-... Again?" Nathan shakes his head, as this wasn't the first time he woke up alone.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." A voice called out to Drake. Drake looks over to the Apartment door, smiling awkwardly upon seeing who it is, "Good to see you up. I was worried I'd have to find a charming prince to wake you."

She is a charming and intelligent woman, being around Drake's age, standing around 5'2" ft/ 1.57 m tall, with a slim, athletic figure, grey-blue eyes, and long blond hair strapped in a messy pony tail, with a few strays of hair hanging over her face. She is wearing a light blue button-up collared shirt, with the upper buttons off, showing her grey undershirt covering her chest and its sleeves reaching her mid forearm, extending past her shirt's rolled back sleeves over her elbows; pale green khakis held up by a thin brown belt; and dark brown shoes. A woman with similar personality traits as her husband, willing to risk her own life to uncover the world's legends and secrets. Drake wouldn't have made it this far without her at his side - Elena Fisher.

"Oh hey. Thanks for getting me up on time." Drake said while rubbing his eye.

Elena shakes her head as she then approaches the bed, "I don't want to make this a habit, waking you up every morning for the rest of our days. That's Sully's job, not mine."

"Ha ha! I think you do a better job, to be honest."

Elena smiles as she leans over the bed, kissing Drake on the lips, "Awake now?"

"Mmm... yeah, I suppose." Drake replied with one eyebrow raised, causing Elena to chuckle.

"How come you've been up late these past few days? It's not doing you any favors, you know?"

"I know, but I can't help it." Drake then looks up at the ceiling momentarily, "I just needed to think about things."

"What kind of things?"

"Just things - marriage things. Like," Drake raises his hand perplexed, "I am trying to get us at the right path, but I have no clue how a normal marriage works. You'd think those chick flicks would have all the answers."

"You have a point there." Elena nodded playfully, as she then gets a little serious at the topic at hand, "I think having commitment to their spouse is the first step in the right direction. Many find it overrated, but it helps build trust with one another."

"Hmm... that could help you to wake me up on time."

Elena rolls her eyes as she playfully shoves Drake on his shoulder. Drake chuckles as Elena drops off something wrapped in tinfoil on the bed and heads off inside the bathroom, "I got you some tacos from downstairs. I hope you don't mind fried onions."

"Love 'em." Drake sits over the side of the bed and picks up his clothes, getting dressed for the day. After putting on a sweater, Drake looks over his shoulder to see Elena washing her hands at the sink. He looks forward, hunching over as he takes out an envelope he had tucked away deep in pants hanging over a chair. He smiles at the envelope as he then hides it in the drawer next to the bed quietly.

"So what are the plans to start off our second honeymoon?" Elena asked as she dries her hands with a hand towel on the bathroom wall.

"Um - I think we should just have a walk on the beach," Nathan gets up to put his pants on, "Or we can explore around town, go see the Christ the Redeemer statue up on Mount Corcovado to end things off, maybe see more places like the Cathedral or the Ernesto Palace on the way back. You know, just simple stuff for now."

"For now, huh?" Elena comes out of the bathroom while rubbing her palm with her thumb, as Drake is now fully clothed, wearing a green sweater semi tucked in, with its sleeves pulled back below his elbows; blue jeans with a black belt around the waist; a watch around his left wrist; and light brown shoes. Elena then crosses her arms over her chest, "Interesting you have never seen the statue before."

"I have, just not up close and in person. I was more interested in places that are more cryptic to find." Drake said as he turns to Elena, noticing the suspicious look she's giving him, "What? You think I have something else in mind?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Come on, you know I never think anything far ahead."

"Okay, NOW I know something is up." Elena places her hands on her hips while looking away momentarily, shaking her head a few seconds later, "Okay, okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Just don't make me regret it."

"Relax," Nathan reaches for Elena's hands, cupping them gently in front of his chest, "It's just going to be a nice walk that we will both cherish for the rest of our lives."

"Mmm-hmm." Elena smiles while raising an eyebrow at Drake, "Well, we better get going then." She walks off to the front door, while Drake grabs the tacos wrapped in tinfoil, unwraps it, and takes a bite out of one.

"Mmm! It'sf gud and mmreally hot at the same time." Drake said, his face scrunching as he chews.

"Heh heh! You better finish those before we leave; I hear thieves around here tend to jump people that are stuffing their faces."

"Asf iff dat wud," Nathan swallows to speak clearly, "As if that would be the worst thing to ever happen to us."

Elena wraps her arms around Nathan's right arm as they leave and lock their apartment building. Moments later, blue wavy lines appear out of thin air, swirling around Nathan's journal on the table drawer.

**^ O X []**

The blue wavy lines swirl in the night sky, above the red and blue lights of the police sirens that shine their rays around the side of the neighborhood street. An investigation is taking place in a quiet neighborhood, where a limousine crashed and knocked down a street light. A few police cars are parked around the scene, where detectives are taking pictures of the incident, particularly at the parts of street where the limousine isn't. Neighbors living nearby watch the investigation in their robes and pajamas, watching it from their balconies, outside their front gates, and some watching right behind the police tape with concerned expressions, seeing a policeman covering something with a white sheet. A police chief then walks up to the neighbors.

"Okay! Break it up, people," The chief said to them while waving his arms, "There is nothing to worry about; we have the whole block secure. Just go back to your homes and let us work in peace." The neighbors didn't say anything and continued to watch the scene, distressing the officer, "Sigh... fine, do what you like." The chief walks away from the crowd, passing by few of his men as he walks up to a detective, who is observing the forensic team examining a bloody body part on the ground, "Is there anything new here?"

"We know that there are three victims, all cyborgs," The detective explained while observing the body part, "They were all armed with short and long range weapons, and judging by their insignia they had on them, they all worked under Desperado."

"I thought they disbanded."

"Some of them are still around, helping smaller criminal factions and the like. However, there have been an increase of unsolved cases where Desperado groups around the country have been found dead, all cut down by some sort of blade."

"So it's some vigilante nutjob then?"

"Can't say... but judging what we have here, I'd say the same 'nutjob' hunting these men down is not that far off."

"Tsk... if only we had gotten here sooner." The policeman's brow furrows in disgust.

"Just get me outta here already!"

The chief and detective look over their shoulders, seeing a group of officers taking Steiner handcuffed to one of the police cars. Steiner is shaking nervously, looking at every direction every few seconds, ready to scream at any given moment, "I'm telling you! There is a monster out there! Everyone that tried to kill him are now dead! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME NEXT, I TELL YOU!" Steiner cried, as the officers puts in the back of the car and slam the door shut.

"Sir! We have a report!" An officer rushes over to the chief and the detective, "It's just like Steiner said; the warehouse is full of bodies of the Alberto Cartel, and Alberto is one of them. We've secured the survivors that were making their product, and we've also arrested the security guard working for them. He said he didn't know what happened inside, and that he'll tell us everything he knows about the Cartel's operations in exchange for immunity."

"He'll get a lighter sentence if he's lucky." The chief said, as he then looks around the crime scene again, seeing several body parts around the pavement, covered in white sheets. "I'm sick at looking at this," He then walks to the center of the investigation scene, "Alright, people, let's wrap things up! We need to see if the creep that did this is still around! Don't engage him if found, just keep tabs on his whereabouts! Let's go!"

As the team gets ready to clean up, they are unaware that the 'creep' is still nearby.

A half a mile away from the investigation, Raiden is another part of a neighborhood, which has fewer street lights, allowing him to walk casually in the street without drawing attention. The cyborg ninja whistles a particular theme, holding his suitcase with his sword inside. He has a few blood stains on his upper body and forehead, with the blood on his forehead dripping around the corner of his eyebrow. Raiden doesn't mind, however, as he stops whistling and exhales in an almost a goofy manner, continuing his walk in silence.

BEEP! BEEP!

Raiden blinks as he is receiving a call by codec. A small holographic window appears inches away from Raiden's face, showing the incoming frequency. "Heh!" Raiden smiles wholeheartedly, as he quickly wipes most of the blood off his forehead, and answers the call. The window enlarges into a monitor, depicting a woman in the center screen. "Hey, honey. I was beginning to think you forgot my number."

"Hmm hmm! Hey, Jack. It's good to see you're doing well." The woman replied with a heartwarming smile. She is around Raiden's age, with short brown hair, and brown eyes. She wears a white top with a v-shaped neck collar and long sleeves that are pulled back over the back of her forearms, dark grey suit pants, and short white heels. A former spy who fell in love with her target - Rosemary. Rosemary is sitting in the living room, communicating with Raiden with her laptop on the coffee table. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No! No-no, I'm free at the moment." Raiden said, trying to wipe the stain from his forehead without drawing too much attention, "You just caught me clocking out for the night."

Rosemary notices the blood on Raiden, but continues to smile as if she didn't notice it, "I know I shouldn't call you unless it's an emergency, but I couldn't help but miss the sound your voice. I will never get used to us being separated."

"You don't have to tell me that..." Raiden said with a sigh, but then perks up, "So, how are things over at New Zealand?"

"It's going great! The land is beautiful, our neighbors are friendly - I think we should make this our permanent home."

"Oh yeah? How is John doing?"

"John couldn't be happier. He was a little timid moving here at first, but he grew to love this place more than I have. He's making lots of friends at school, and is always excited to talk about what he did today, what he saw, about you..." Rosemary chuckles, "Heh! I rarely see him be upset or bored nowadays. It never gets old."

"Ha ha! That's my boy! I wish I could be there."

The two then grew silent for a few seconds, as Rosemary then gets sad, "Jack... how are you?

"Hmm?" Raiden takes a moment to reply, "I'm alright. Same as always."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah... Rose, I know what I'm doing can be stressful, but I'm almost done. There are just a few Desperado factions left. They're in different states, but I think I'll be done a week before Christmas."

"I'm not talking about your mission. I'm talking about you."

Raiden becomes perplexed, "Heh! Rose. I told you. I'm-"

"Jack..." Rosemary interrupts as she takes a deep breath, "I've been tracking your vitals ever since the incident in Africa." Raiden stops walking the moment he hears that, "You turn off your pain inhibitors from time to time since then; your mannerisms sporadically change. Lately, you haven't been in control of yourself..."

"Rose..."

"I know that you must do this, and I'm here to support you... but I can't let John see you the way you are now." Rosemary looks away, "Jack, what you were in the past, please try and let it stay there. John speaks fondly of you, I don't want him to see your other side."

"... He won't." Raiden raises his head with a weak smile, "I... know what I have to do. *sigh* - After this is over, I'll keep in touch with you by codec." He smiles weakly, "You're the best counsellour out there, so I expect you to take good care of me."

Rosemary smiles softly with sad eyes, "We'll get through this, Jack. I promise. " Rose then looks over to her right, "It's almost four. I gotta go pick up John from school."

"Okay! Love you, honey." Raiden said, waving goodbye.

"I love you too. Take care!" Rosemary said, waving back. She then gets up from the couch, and pushes a button on her laptop, ending the codec call. Raiden's monitor closes as Raiden looks at the ground with a stoic expression, gripping tightly on the briefcase's hard enough to nearly crack it in pieces. He calms down as he looks ahead, and walks on. He heads over to a motorcycle parked near a curb, and gets on it. The motor's engine turns on loudly as Raiden then does a U-turn, and rides it out of the neighborhood, taking a sharp turn to a nearly empty highway.

Raiden rides away on the street, passing by a street light that has blue wavey lines circling around it.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines fly low beneath a table, as it suddenly gets kicked to the side by a chunky leg. The lines swirl away from the leg, as Princess Plump -wiggling her legs with excitment- continues to eat her breakfast to no end in sight. Her servants keep coming with more food, leaving with the dirty dishes after going around the dining table.

"MmmmMMMMMM! This is all so yummy!" Plump exclaimed with delight, "I cannot wait for Lunch! I heard they're serving cheese cake!"

"Sire? Sire, please wait!"

The Red King walks in front of the top steps of his throne room, staring down at the dining table with a stoic expression. He takes a few steps back, and runs forward at full force, leaving the Aide and the guards dumbfounded, "Your Majesty! No!"

The Red King jumps off the throne area headfirst, souring across the room like a ball kicked high into the air, maintaining a deadpan expression as he dives towards the ground below. The servants stop, immediately seeing their King is about to fall to his demise. They squint their eyes with determination, as the servants around the table dump the dishes on their platters to the side, which the other servants farther off collect before they touch the ground. The servants close to the King then line up in front of their ruler, with many of them standing on each other's heads, with the ones on top hold their platters over their heads, creating a slide that leads down to the dining table. The Red King lands on the slide, as the servants grit their teeth while the king slides down quickly across their platters and crashes through the assortment of dishes placed on the table for Plump to eat.

"Waah!?" The Princess gasps upon noticing this, seeing her father skid across the table, smearing the food in his path across the wooden surface, knocking the food nearby off the edges, as he then stops in front of her motionlessly. The room grows quiet, as everyone grows concern for the King's wellbeing, while Plump blinks before her cheeks glow red with anger. "Daddy! What are you doing!? You are wasting all the food I was going to eat!"

The Red King slowly raises his head and spits out the food he had in his mouth upon landing, having bits of frosting over his beard and face. He then looks over at his daughter, baring his teeth in anger.

"Enough is enough, young lady," The Red King exclaimed, trying to get up on his feet, "I can't have you doing this everyday! It's been an hour since breakfast and you're still eating!"

"But Daddy," Plump begins to whimper, "I'm still hungryyy!"

"NO!" The King points at Plump, who is taken a back by her father's outburst, "That is not going to work anymore! I have been seeing horrors replaying from the darkest parts of my mind for days now to further tolerate your behavior!" He sweats profoundly, taking a deep breath to regain his composure, "My sweet daughter, you know I'll always love you, even if you continue to disappoint with your lack of restraint... but you're a married now! You need to set an example to this kingdom! If everyone gets inspired by your daily habits, and follows your league, then-" The Red King shivers before continuing, "Well, it's going be a freakin' disaster! The Red Kingdom will collapse if we have ONE more person with your eating schedule!"

Plump frowns, shaking her arms in protest, "But I'm royalty! I should do whatever I want and eat whatever I want! What you're saying is not fair!"

The Red King sighs loudly while tossing his head up, very annoyed by his daughter's behavior, "I'm not going to be around forever, you know? When I'm gone, you and your husband need to rule this kingdom in my stead.

"My husband...? Oh, Albert! I forgot I was married to him!" Plump said in surprise, as her servants are quickly cleaning up the mess around the table, "Have you seen him, Father? He's been gone for such a long time, I have almost forgotten about him."

**Meanwhile...**

In the dark, murky dungeons, beneath the castle grounds, Princess Plump's husband - Prince Albert - is alone inside a prison cell that has the floor covered in hay, and the small window barred up on the wall. Prince Albert -who has short blonde hair and bucked teeth, and is wearing a sweaty green garb and a dirty crown on his head- lies confused in the center of the cell, having his leg chained with a heavy ball.

"Um, hello?" he calls out, as his voice echos across the empty dungeon, "Father-in-law? I-I found the toothbrush you asked me to find, but the guards locked me here for some reason. It's been a few days now. Helloooooo?"

**Back in the Throne room...**

The Red King maintains his gaze at his daughter with a nervous look and puckered lips, sweating heavily in the process.

"... Don't change the subject!" The Red King blurted out, "You need to understand that being royalty is much more than just getting whatever you want. Your people are counting on you! They need you to guide them through the harsh times that will come sooner than later! That's why before I completely lose my mind, I'm going to teach you everything there is to know about ruling this kingdom"

"Grrrr! I don't wanna do any of that! That's why I have servants!"

"You're gonna to listen, or insteaaad..." The Red King takes a deep breath, "You're gonna follow a DIIIIEEETTTTT!" The Red King's dramatic scream is heard throughout the whole castle, startling the guards training outside. The Aide, guards, and the servants in the throne room watch as Plump holds her fists in front of her chest, ready to yell back with all her might. But before she can, the ringing in her ears caused by her father's yelling causes her to reconsider. With a big frown, Plump rests her elbows over the tables, resting her head on her hand as she uses her other hand to eat the frosting from the table. The Red King grins with glee, "That's more like it. Now, let's first address your eating habits..."

Plump begrudgingly hears out her father, licking the frosting off her fingers, as blue wavy lines fly up near the ceiling decor above.

**^ O X []**

The blue wavy lines fly up and down in the air, coursing along a sand dune in a vast desert location. In the midst of the desert, a lone figure is seen on his back passed out.

Sly Cooper -wearing his usual attire minus his backpack, and in addition to a brown pouch around his left leg, and a golden logo for a belt buckle- wakes up under the scorching Sun, feeling dazed as his vision slowly adjusts. "Ungh.." Sly blinks, moving his hand over the Sun's ray, as he looks over to his left and sees his cane grasped with his left hand. Sly grits his teeth, as he regains consciousness, and slowly gets up on his hands and knees, with his body aching all over. He stops briefly to catch his breath, putting his right hand over his head, and looks up to see his surroundings while squinting his eyes. His eyes widen upon seeing that he's in a desert location, with a few boulders lying around, as well as deflated balloon and broken machine parts scattered here and there. Sly gets up on his feet, looking at a giant tomb in front of three pyramids varying in size. The tomb has a set of stairs that leads toward the entrance, with a giant statue depicting Anubis' head on top of the roof with a few palm trees on the side.

The thief stares at the tomb, wondering what ancient treasure await inside. Sly takes a step forward towards the tomb, but stops upon remembering something crucial. It was all coming back to him. He doesn't know where he is, but he remembers how he got here.

_At the front of a blimp that is set to crash, Sly Cooper looks over at an anthropomorphic skunk getting away in his paraglider, as the skunk then crashes into the tail wing of plane passing by shortly afterwards. Sly is trapped, with no way to get off the blimp alive. He sadly looks over at the blimp behind him breaking into pieces, as the flames on spread with every second passing by. The time machine inside the deck then activates, as Sly then looks ahead to see a time portal open, disappearing upon going through._

"Guys!" Sly eyes widen in shock, realizing that his friends are worried about him. He acts troubled at first, but regains his composure shortly afterwards, knowing he can't do anything in his current state. Despite the predicament he's in, he knows deep down that he'll see his gang again, especially his beloved. Sly spins his cane a little, staring over at the tomb again. He then adjusts his hat with a grin, "Welp... no point standing around. Let's see what's inside."

Sly makes his way towards the tomb, as blue wavy lines fly around the right ear of Anubis's statue.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines fly deep into the orange dusky skies, far above the crowded area below. At the end of Visari's Palace, at the path between the side of the driveway and the entrance into the Autarch's Sanctum, multiple bodies covered in white sheets on vetinary transport tables are lined up in a square formation, with the sheets having stains from the bodies' fatal wounds. Hundreds of Helghan soldiers are stationed at every corner around this area, with thousands more patrolling farther off. Many vehicles are seen near these soldiers, as they are blocking off most of the passages towards the palace. Ships are also in the sky above the palace, keeping a lookout for any ISA ships and infantry.

On the pathway outside the Sanctum's entrance, several soldiers are swiftly, but steadily, going in and out of the Sanctum, transporting the corpses that died in the palace outside. A vetinary vehicle drives in and parks near the curb, as two soldiers hurry out and move some of the bodies close to them inside the vehicle. As they finish, they hurry back to their seats and drive away along the heavily guarded road, as moments later, another vetinary vehicle stops by the Sanctum to repeat the process.

There has never been so many Helghast soldiers together in one place. Most of these soldiers are weary from the battle that took place an hour ago, but they don't care. They are angry. They are drawing energy from the burning sensation they feel in their souls. Their eyes are full of fury, ready to shoot down any ISA scum into oblivion, filling them with lead until they are no longer recognizable. Their leader is dead, and there will be Hell to pay.

A soldier hurries back to the Sanctum, going up the steps before he goes inside, moving near the corner of the room to not disturb the proceedings happening in the Sanctum's center.

A few soldiers are tending to Visari's fatal wound, cleaning the blood off of him and his attire as neatly as they could. Admiral Orlock and members of Helghast's High Council -who are all as pale skinned as Orlock- are standing around Visari's corpse in a circle, keeping to themselves as their late leader is getting treated for proper transport. As Orlock watches on in silence, a soldier walks up to his side, whispering to his ear. Orlock eyes him, briefly looking back at Visari's corpse before walking away. Orlock and the soldier go outside the entrance on top of the steps, as Orlock observes the soldiers on the driveway taking a few bodies into their vehicle.

"So they haven't been found yet..." Orlock said in dismay, having a stern look.

"We have a searched an ISA Cruiser we shot down a while back," The soldier said looking at Orlock, "Everyone inside is dead, but we have not found any leads to the whereabouts of the soldiers that were here. We have units investigating for any active terminals in the cruiser to see if we can track them down." Orlock remains silent, as the soldier looks back inside before looking back at Orlock, "Sir, what are we going to do now? With the Autarch gone, the ISA-"

"Do not justify their cowardly actions, soldier!" Orlock replied fiercely, maintaining his gaze at the driveway, "The ISA have won nothing! Only when we let this day cloud our ambition will we lose to those that have done us harm. But we will never give in! They will face retribution soon enough!" Orlock takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm himself down, "Visari is priority. We must get his body out of here safely. We will have a funeral to honor his name, thank him for his sacrifices. The ISA can run and hide all they want; this is our world, and by as late as tomorrow, there will be no mercy."

Out on the driveway, as a few soldiers from two vetinary vehicles go and pick up the bodies, another vehicle drives in, parking next to the curb between the two vehicles. This vehicle is smaller in comparison to the vet vehicles, being fast and heavily armored with thick dark-grey plates on its diaphram, having a logo of an upside-down triangle with a small opening on the center of its left side.

Orlock squints at the vehicle with disdain, as he then looks at the soldier, "I will hold a war meeting after the funeral. As soon as we complete our objective here, rally the troops and search for those killers out at the plains. We will find them!" The soldier salutes in response and heads back inside the Sanctum. Orlock looks back at the vehicle in disgust, as he then goes back inside as well.

The vehicle on the driveway then opens its rear doors, as two troopers, heavily armored in comparison to a regular infantryman, come out and overlook their surroundings. Another man takes a step out of the vehicle, slowly getting in between the troopers. He doesn't wear a gas mask just as Orlock and the High Council, as the man stands straight, taking a big puff of his cigarrete, blowing the smoke up in the air in relief. The light from the dusk shadows over his front, showing only his white hair, and him wearing a slick black leather jacket, pants, and shoes. He takes two steps forward, overlooking the dozens of bodies around him, seeing soldiers bringing more from the Sanctum.

"Hmm..." The man exhales through his nostrils with a stoic expression, taking another puff from his cigarrete. As he blows out another puff of smoke, the man puts out his cigarrete over the palm of a body next to him, which has its hand sticking out from the side of its sheet. The man flicks his cigarrete away, as soldiers from one of the vet vehicles take the body next to him without seeing what the man did. The man then walks towards the Sanctum with his troopers following him. He stops upon seeing a body covered in a black sheet with a Helghast insignia being taken to the row of bodies by two soldiers. "You two! Wait a second!" The two soldiers stop as they look over who called at them. They immediately stand firm upon recognizing who it is, as the man then walks over to the body from the side, taking a peek at the body by folding the front end corner of the sheet. He raises his eyebrows upon seeing the corpse's face, "Colonel Radec, I presume?"

"Yes, sir." One of the soldiers replied, "You can't believe he died until you see it for yourself."

"With him and Scolar Visari gone..." The other soldier replied sadly, "... They deserve better than this."

The man smirks, as blue wavey lines continue to fly in the dusky sky.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines amid the flock of birds, as they arrive at the front entrance to the Gardens, as Sackboy hops off while keeping his flower crown over his head. The birds, farmers, bears, and ants all wave goodbye to Sackboy, who walks into the Garden while waving goodbye back. Sackboy then faces foward with a big smile, happy to have arrived at the Gardens at last. It was here where Sackboy started his adventure into saving the dreams and creativity all over LittleBigPlanet from a greedy little collector, who to be fair, didn't know any better.

Sackboy walks along the path near the picket fence and the non-threatening garden gnomes, passing by houses of cardboard in different shapes and sizes and flowers that are just as big. Along the way, Sackboy sees a familiar face down the path, standing at the side of the road while doing nothing.

"Hm?" The man shifts his eyes to the left, seeing Sackboy approaching.

He is a large man, having a blocky, curvy figure. He has googly eyes, red circle cheeks, bald with brown hair at the back of his head, thick eyebrows, and a full brown beard and mustache. He wears a red garb fit for a king, with purple and violet striped shoulder puffs and having the same color at the edge of his gown. He also has a sceptor with a green jewel at the top, and has golden crown on his head. He is the Garden's Creator Curator; one of the many powerful people that rule, create and rebuild LittleBigPlanet - The King.

Without moving his legs, the King slides over to Sackboy's direction with his arms raised in joy, "Ho ho! Welcome, Sackboy! It is so nice of you to have dropped by!" The King exclaimed, as Sackboy stares at him with a big smile, sticking his tongue out at the side, "It's a good thing you showed, actually. Our world has grown bigger since you were last here. So much creativity has come to our world, that I couldn't help but feel inspired into making something on that land there." The King gestures to an empty part of the garden at a distance near a garden gnome, a few daisies, and between two cardboard houses. Sackboy and the King walk over to the front of the empty plain of grass, "I've been thinking for weeks what to put here, but I can't come to terms with anything I have in mind." The King flails his arms excitedly, "Sackboy, since you're here, why don't you make something. You don't have to, of course, but it would be an honor to have your work of ingenuity displayed here at the Gardens."

Sackboy nods excitedly without hesitation, happy to help out the King once more. He then looks at the empty plain with confidence, as he takes out his Popit Menu and turns on his thinking cap, letting his creative flow swirl in his mind in an endless loop. Some of the locals gather behind Sackboy, cheering him on as he rubs his chin, deep in his thoughts. He smiles widely as an imaginary light bulb turns on over his head, getting an idea how he should start things off.

As the King watches on excitedly, blue wavy lines appear and do circles next to the king. The King stops as he shifts his gaze at the lines, which immediately fly behind him and go away, avoiding detection. The King shrugs as he looks back at Sackboy with great enthusiasm, while the lines fly betweeen an opening of the picket fence, going behind one of the wooden pickets.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines gently move up and down in Space, the mother of all frontiers. Far and wide, planets inhabit this seemingly endless void, with some of them having civilizations that are advanced enough to travel and live in different worlds, while others don't even know that other intelligent lifeforms exist. A few galaxies around this part of Space coexist with each other as if it's one big world, evident by the multitude of species seen in big cities in each planet.

The Solana Galaxy is no different; having various amount of planets with differing environments and species. It's also the most common galaxy where danger always goes. There have been many cruel attempts by several fiendish individuals in the past who tried to either destroy or take control of this galaxy. Fortunately, they all have failed, defeated by the greatest heroes of the universe, the same heroes that are flying in this galaxy as we speak.

In a quiet quadrant of Solana, the Aphelion flies across an empty area in Space, surrounded by a few planets close and far in several directions and a red gas cloud far off to the right, with a source of light coming in from the same direction. The light shines through the darkened glass of the cockpit, where Ratchet &amp; Clank are inside, discussing something as the bottom sidelights next to their seats illuminate the cockpit with a blue-green hue.

"Look, I know it's not completely like the comic, but what's the point of watching a show if you already know what's going to happen scene by scene?" Ratchet asked, piloting the ship while gesturing his hand at Clank.

"I believe accuracy is the most important aspect into making an episodic program based off a visual novel," Clank explained, "Producers are more likely to add or remove certain content to save money and attract a broader audience outside the fanbase. That is why many reject the televised version as they deemed it, in my words, feeble and tamed in comparison to the source material."

"Just because something is 'tame' doesn't mean it's worse. And if you've seen the show, you'll notice that it has done things better than the comic did."

"Ratchet, I don't watch TV." Clank shrugs, "There are far more productive activities I like to do than-"

"I know, but just give this a look!" Ratchet interrupted, as he opens a window in his monitor, "Give me a second while I open Spaceflix, and you'll see that the show is cool in its own right."

Clank looks at Ratchet, happy to see he is acting like his usual self again. He looks at the monitor, patiently waiting for Ratchet, who gets into his Spaceflix account, "Alright, get ready for some action." As Ratchet is about to scroll the window screen, another window pops up depicting a green phone in a thin green circle.

"Incoming call from: HeroGuyQ 1-900-372-3265." The Aphelion's AI said.

Ratchet and Clank look at each other with amused looks, knowing who the caller is. They stare at the monitor silently, letting it ring for a few seconds longer, only to keep hearing it ring nonstop.

Ratchet sighs as gives off a weak smile, "Okay, let's see what he wants." Ratchet accepts the call, as a screen opens up, showing a man with a gallant smile.

"Greetings, fellow compatriots of law and order! Oh have I been dying to talk with you two in this precise and specific moment!" Said the man excitedly.

He is a large man, standing in 10"5' ft/ 3.17 m tall, with long, muscular arms, and broad shoulders and torso, disproportionate to his legs. He has a human appearance, but has three bulky fingers instead of five on both hands. He is wearing a luxurious brown and peach vertical striped suit with golden cuff links and a red tie over his standard hero attire, revealing only his green gloves and mask covering his upper face minus his eyes with a small antannae on his head. While generally a coward and a moron, this man has always done his best to uphold peace and tranquility to all that in need of his aid. Villains, beware; if you come knocking at this man's door, be prepared to be knocked back - Qwark.

"Hey, Qwark." Ratchet and Clank said in unison, smiling at the hero with disinterested eyes.

"You guys are not busy, right? Good!" Qwark exclaimed, not actually caring if Ratchet and Clank were busy, "You two probably know that things have been a little uneventful for me as of late, but do not fret; I have just obtained a job so endearing to my soul, it eagers to fill the empty part of my being and more!" Qwark then leans over to his camera, showing Ratchet and Clank a closer look of his ecstatic face, "You two are like family to me! I bet you can guess what it is."

"Let's see..." Ratchet scratches his head while looking through the glass above him. He then snaps his fingers, "Are you a shady used ship salesman?"

Clank giggles while covering his mouth, as Qwark chuckles weakly, "Ha ha... not the brightest one in the family, huh?" Qwark then leans back on his chair, "No! I am actually the new President of Solana Galaxy! Have a look!" Qwark gets up as he grabs the cam, and shows Ratchet and Clank the office he is in, which has a blue carpet floor; green and blue wallpaper; a few bookcases filled with books about policies and Qwark's adventures against the front side walls; a flag post on each front end, one bearing the Solana's Galactic Government insignia and the other bearing Qwark's trademarked logo; a few pleather chairs in front the broad wooden desk, which has a few pictures on the sides, most of them depicting Qwark doing different poses; and behind the desk is a big chair big enough for Qwark, with a wall sized window with grey drapes behind it, where you can see a part of a large, bustling city, with multiple vehicles flying left and right. "As you can see, I've already made myself at home here at Metropolis. After all, nothing is too needy for someone that does great deed... ies." Qwark trailed off, realizing how corny that line was even for him.

"Pardon me for interrupting, Captain," Clank said, "but isn't Mr. Phyronix the President of Solana?"

"No! I mean... well, yeah." Qwark placed the cam back on the tripod as he sits back on his chair, pouting as he twiddles his thumbs "Truth is, this isn't even a paid job. President Phyronix has given me the great pleasure into watching over the galaxy while he stays focused in his meeting. This office actually belongs to one of the President's staff members currently on vacation, so I've taken the liberty into redecorating it and claiming it as my own. This stays between us, by the way." Ratchet and Clank nod each other with a smirk upon hearing what they suspected, as Qwark then brightens up again, "However! I intend to do a spectacular job, so when he comes and sees how everything looks better than the way he left it, he'll have to make me Co-President! Yes, even he shouldn't sacrifice his position for my sake... even though he should, but that's entirely up to him."

"It's nice to hear you're doing okay," Ratchet said with a nod, "Let's see if you can stay President a little longer this time."

"That's the plan, obviously. Either that," Qwark chuckles nervously, "or I'll have millions of tax bolts to answer to." He shrugs the thought off, "Anywho, I hope you guys stop by and see how I run things around here. You two can still learn a thing or two from the greatest role model that has forever made you the heroes that you are now."

"Yeah, as much as I need your 'guidance', seeing that your my 'role model' and everything," Ratchet said, nearly twitching at the thought of having Qwark as his role model, "We got a job to do later on."

"We need to guide President Skrunch to the meeting, and ensure the safety of him and everyone attending there." Clank clarified.

Qwark frowns as he rolls his eyes, "Oh, that no good, double-crossing fleabag, is going there, huh?" He then sighs, smiling afterwards, "I'm sure he'll have a pleasant time, seeing that he couldn't be in better hands." Ratchet and Clank are astonished hearing that, "Welp, I've talked long enough, and I am under a tight schedule today." Qwark salutes the duo, "You two keep up the good work! The next time you see me, you'll see a man that has proven the fact that dreams can come true!"

"Take care, Qwark." Ratchet salutes back casually.

"President Qwark! Signing out!"

The window closes, with the moniter showing Ratchet's Spaceflix account again. Ratchet leans back on his chair with a perplexed smile, "Was it just me, or did Qwark actually complimented us just now?"

"He's come a long way, Ratchet," Clank said with his arms raised, "Just like us."

"Hmm..." Ratchet shakes his head, bewildered how much time has passed and how much has changed in him, Clank, and even Qwark of all people. He looks ahead, putting both hands on the pedal, "Let's head home already. All this enlightment is tiring me out."

"Eh hee hee hee!" Clank laughed.

The Aphelion then flies off, as blue wavey lines sour to a planet at the distance.

**^ O X []**

Blue wavy lines fly high in the darkened sky, as Kai looks up at it. "Hmm?" Kai tilts her head sideways in confusion.

"Is something wrong, Kai?" Shen asked, looking over at Kai.

"Mmm... Kai can't stop seeing a weird light." Kai replied, still staring intently at the lines.

Shen then smiles, "Heh heh! That's what happens when you stare at the sun for too long; you'll start seeing a light from everywhere you see for a while. Ha ha ha!"

"Huh..." Kai maintains her gaze at the lines, as they then start to face. Kai looses track of them as the sun lowers more into the horizon. Shen sees the sky getting darker, as he stretches his arms apart and stands up.

"It's getting dark now, Kai," Shen said, brushing the sand off his pants, "We can come back tomorrow." He straightens up, nodding "I want to make this a routine. Nariko deserves that much from me."

"There are more lights now." Kai replied, showing a concerned expression.

"What did you say?" Shen asked with a heartily smile, which slowly disappears upon seeing Kai's expression. He looks up at the sky, as his eyes widen in shock, "What in the world!?"

In the dark sky, there are dozens of blue wavy lines in different altitudes, flying around in different directions. Kai gets up as Shen hurries to her side and keeps her close while some of the lines fly near them.

"Wh-What's happening?" Kai asked.

"I-I don't know!" The lines then start to fade into thin air, perplexing the two even more, "What is going on?"

**^ O X []**

The blue wavy lines head down towards the sidewalk, going around a fire hydrant, as an orange blur goes by, causing the lines to fly away in a sporadic fashion.

Parappa skates along the sidewalk, passing by several houses in a quiet neighborhood near town, similar to where he lives. The pup slows down as he stands on his skateboard, letting the momentum take him a little further to his destination. As Parappa begins to slow down, multiple cars of different colors and designs can be seen parked in a line against the sidewalk and the one across the street. Parappa looks at the cars as he skates by, as he then looks ahead, smiling widely.

"I made it!" Parappa exclaimed happily, as he arrives at a house that looks like a big lemon, with a red key-hole shaped door, having a round window with colorful flower petals at each side. Over the house's front entrance is a white banner with a flower decor on its borders, and has colorful letters that read 'Happy Birthday!', with a painting of a flower in a pot as its exclamation point. The front yard's white picket fence also has drawings of flowers and such on each board, as beyond the fence is a crowd of people in the front yard talking to each other, most of them wearing party hats and drinks in hand.

Almost everyone in town has come to celebrate the birthday of whom Parappa cherishes with all his heart.

"It's already this crowded," Parappa said bewildered at the crowd, as he stops in front of the house, "I better find the gang quick!" Parappa kicks the bottom end of his skateboard, knocking the front end in midair, and catches it with his arm. He then walks into the front yard, passing by a few people. Parappa watches as a few kids wearing party hats running by, shooting each other with water guns. The pup smiles upon seeing everyone already having a good time. He blinks as he then sees his gang in front of a red and white food stand on left side of the front yard. "There they are!" Parappa excitedly goes past the crowd to join his friends.

"Ah! Here we go." One of Parappa's friends smiles as he gets a hot dog with several toppings from the food stand man behind the counter. He is an orange life-sized teddy bear, with eyes that are always droopy despite him having an upbeat and positive personality. He has a dark peach face, a small round purple nose, two small X-shaped stitches in front of his upper body, and a yellow shirt button for a belly button. He's a bear with a big appetite and is Parappa's best friend - PJ Berri.

PJ Berri takes a big bite out of his hot dog, savoring the taste as his friends watched. One of the friends is a blue anthropomorphic girl with a yellow bang of hair over her forehead. She is wearing a red and white striped midriff singlet and jazz pants, and a pair of blue shoes with a red toe camp and big brown soles. She is tough and energetic feline, always making sure her plans work out as the way she envisioned it - Katy Kat.

"Give me a break, PJ," Katy said as she taps her foot with her arms crossed over her chest, staring at PJ disapprovingly, "You can't fill yourself up before we go on. You'll just tire yourself out."

"Mmm," PJ swallows as he looks over to Katy, "I wouldn't be able to play at all if I don't have anything in my tummy." PJ takes another bite out of his hotdog as he then chews while speaks, "That's just how my body works."

"Mmbblblblbll!" Another of Parappa's friends said. She is small mouse girl, being around half the size of PJ and Katy. She has dark yellow fur, and she wears a red dress. She speaks in gibberish, and has a constant pessimistic look with her eyebrows always furrowed and her expression rarely changing, but anyone can tell when she's truly upset whenever the fuse of her dynamite lodged in her head sparks up - Ma-san.

"Heh heh! It's okay, Ma-san. If it will help him, it's going to help all of us on stage." Another of Parappa's friends said. She is an anthropomorphic Ewe with small horns coming out of her short, red-orange, rock-style hairdo. She has slight dark peach fur, and is wearing a green watch around her left wrist, a red t-shirt with a logo of an abstract white flower with a happy face on it, baggy dark blue jeans held up by a white belt with a yellow buckle, and a pair of light blue shoes with big white soles. A young, timid girl who isn't always confident in herself, but when she has her guitar in her hands, she is ready to rock the world - Lammy.

Katy lowers her head down stressfully, "sigh... I just want everything in this day to be perfect," She said as she then raises her head up, tapping her foot on the ground as she looks at the crowd around her, "One little screw up, and it will follow our careers for the rest of our lives."

"You're worrying over nothing." Lammy replied with a smile, "Parappa has everything sorted out; we can always count on him."

"For someone who has everything sorted out, he sure is taking his time getting here..."

"Hey guys!" Parappa exclaimed, as he rushes over to the gang, who are happy to see him as he approaches.

"Mm! Parappa! You made it!" PJ said as he then took another bite of his hot dog.

Katy then leers over Parappa with her hands on her hips and her eyes ablazed, "It's about time! You know how important this day is, right!? Out of all of us here, how can you show up last!?" She berates Parappa, who leans back in fear.

"Eh heh heh... sorry..." Parappa apologizes while bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

PJ swallows as he then points at Parappa's box, "Hey, is that the present you've been working on?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! This is it!" Parappa zips around Katy, who quickly regains her composure upon Parappa leaving her sight. Parappa then holds the box with both hands, allowing the gang to see it as they stood around it in awe. "Here it is, guys. After all this time, I can't believe I'm finally going to give this to her!"

"She is going to love it, Parappa!" Lammy said with her fist raised in confidence.

"I know she will-"

"Parappa! You've made it!"

Parappa's eyes dilate as his heart skips a beat upon hearing loveliest voice he has known for years. Parappa dumbfoundedly looks over his shoulder to see the birthday girl, standing in front of him and the gang with her hands cupped together, with her smile that can melt a heart. She is an anthropomorphic sunflower, with pink petals growing around her cheerful yellow face, having small red thorns between every petal. She is wearing a red and blue horizontal striped dress with a pair of green shoes. She is a sweet young girl, always happy to be with her friends, especially with Parappa - Sunny Funny.

"Su-Su-Su-SUNNY! H-Hey!" Parappa frantically faces towards Sunny, trying to be as nonchalant as possible as he hides his box behind his back, "Happy Birthday, Sunny! I'm so glad I've made it before the party start-ED!" While maintaining a wide grin, Parappa's arms shake desperately, catching the gang's attention as they then take the box off his hands and passed it back and forth to each other, trying to hide it without catching Sunny's attention.

"I'm so happy you made it, Parappa," Sunny said as she walks up close to Parappa, "This birthday wouldn't be much fun without you here."

Parappa's mouth curls in a wavey pattern as his cheeks blush intensely upon hearing those words, "O-Oh, well - yeah! Ha ha!"

"Oh! And it's nice to have you all here as well." Sunny looks over at the gang, as Ma-san snatches the box from everyone's hands, and hides it behind her as she and the gang huddle together nonchalantly, hiding the box from Sunny's view.

"Oh shoot, girl, you know we will always be there for you." Katy said as wipes some sweat from her brow, while Lammy exhaustedly waves at Sunny happily with her arm on Katy's shoulder, and PJ still eating his hotdog as Ma-san stands still in between.

Sunny giggles as she then looks back at Parappa with a soft smile, "I really am glad you came, Parappa." Sunny looks away, rubbing her arm around her back while moving her left foot in small circles, "It's always nice to have you around. I hope we can all have a good time today."

Parappa breaks out of his stupor, as he stares at Sunny, seeing her almost as bashful as he was a second ago. Parappa smiles softly as he puts hands in his pockets, "Of course we're going to have a good time, Sunny. I've..." Parappa then steps aside, waving his arm towards the gang hiding the box, "I've made sure that everything today will-"

BEEP! BEEP!

"Hey look at that!" a boy shouts in delight as many people in the front yard rush over to the street. Parappa blinks in confusion as he and the gang sees a familiar limo parking in front of Sunny's house, bumping and pushing the cars that were parked there. The vehicle is the Super Stretched Limo 900, a convertible red limousine with vinyl panther seats, big tire guards, a small pool between the two sets of four engine exhaust funnels, and two extra seats at the rear. The front end of the hood is in shape of a big chin, with a symbol of a heroic figure with a big chin and cape posing on it. The crowd gathers beside the crowd as the intro to a heroic theme begins to play.

"Have no worries, party-goers," The driver of the limo said as he jumps out of his car and lands on the sidewalk with a heroic pose while the rest of his intro theme plays out. He is a tall, well-built anthropomorphic dog, with light yellow fur, blonde hair with short bangs, droopy yellow ears, a round black nose, and a big, masculine chin. He wears a red sweater with the cuffs and neck collar of his white undershirt revealing from their respective places, and is also wearing a pair of tight black jeans and slick shoes. He has a pompous attitude, always acting in a heroic manner, and has a tendency to show off, "Because Joe Chin has arrived!" The muscular dog stands upright with his finger pointing at the sky, ready to try to win the Sunny's heart once again - Joe Chin.

Some of kids exclaimed happily as they jumped in joy in front of Joe, as Parappa looks disheartened to see him, while Sunny smiles, "Oh! It's Joe Chin." Sunny said.

"Talk about worst timing." Katy said as she then smack her forehead.

Joe's theme begins to play in the background as Joe sees Sunny in front of her house, as he then leaps and spins over the crowd in his way, and lands heroically in front of Sunny and Parappa. "Ah, my sweet, sweet Sunny. There is not a holiday in this fine Earth more important than day you were born." Joe holds Sunny's hands, winking at her up close with a flashy smile, "Happy birthday, my gorgeous little flower!"

"Th-Thank you, Joe." Sunny said taken aback from Joe's approach.

Joe then lets go of Sunny's hands and takes a step back, "Allow me to honor your special day with the finest gifts money can buy. Behold!" Joe waves his arm towards the back of his limousine, which has a cart attached to it, full of presents of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Parappa and the gang stare at awe as there are so many presents piled up that it reaches towards the clouds in the sky.

"Gosh! How come we didn't notice that before?" PJ asked while scratching his head.

Parappa is at a loss for words, as his mouth drops in shock, never expecting Joe to make an impact before the party even started.

"W-Wow," Sunny is also surprised, looking over at Joe with a troubled look, "This is... really nice of you Joe, but-"

"Say no more, my little buttercup; I know you are very impressed." Joe interrupts Sunny with a pompous expression, as he then faces towards his pile of gifts, "But you'll be even more amazed the order you will open I have arranged," He then points at one of the presents at the bottom, "First, you will open that green squared present there, which will fill your sweet heart with joy once you see what's inside. The second one there will fill your tummy with excitement to open more presents! The third one in the corner will make you nearly faint, but I'll be there-to-keep-you-awake-the-fourth-one-will-make-you-jump-up-and-down-in-delight-the-fifth-will-," Joe's voice is quickly becoming high-pitched as he now talking faster, with his theme playing faster in the process, "%&amp;$&amp;%*&amp;^(&amp;(^%&amp;%*&amp;^(&amp;$$&amp;^&amp;)(*&amp;(*&amp;*&amp;^%^&amp;$%$#%$# $!$ %$##%## %^%$^$%^%$ $##%#%##%#%#!-" Dialog bubbles begin to appear around Joe, completely engulfing him as he rambles on.

"There he goes again..." Katy said as she shakes her head in annoyance.

"I see that Joe is here. That's everyone now."

Parappa, Sunny, and the gang turn to see a man coming out of Sunny's front door. He is a tall, strong-looking man, wearing a blue military uniform and has a brown wooden pipe in hand. He has a rectangular nose, thin eyebrows, vertical egg-shaped eyes, and his head is a pink flower pot with short grass growing on top. He is the head of Parappa Town's military forces and Sunny's father - General Potter.

"Hi, Dad." Sunny said with a smile.

"Hello, birthday girl. I was wondering where you went off to." Potter said as he goes over to Sunny and places his hand on the back of her head. He then see Parappa and the others, "Ah, if it isn't my finest cadets!"

Parappa and PJ stand firm and salutes Potter in a military fashion, "Good morning, sir!" They said respectivily as PJ then takes another bite of his hotdog while maintaining his pose.

"Ha ha ha! At ease, men. No need to be so formal; it's a party!" Potter spreads his arms apart in a proudly fashion, "Enjoy yourselves! I spared no expense into making this day happen."

"Dad, I really do like what you've done for me, but I think you overdid it with the invites. I don't even know most of these people." Sunny said, looking over at the crowd, feeling overwhelmed.

"Ha ha ha! Nothing is ever too much for my little daughter. Many people deserve to see you have a great time, but not as much as you, of course." Potter laughed wholeheartedly, embarrassing Sunny, "Anyway, Sunny, now that everyone is here, we can get this birthday party started with Operation Sunny Blows Out The Birthday Candles."

"So soon?" Sunny briefly looks over at Parappa concernedly, "But I wanted to be with my friends a little longer."

"It will only just take a moment, Sunny. You'll see them later." Potter said as he then looks over at the crowd, "Atten-HUT, everyone! Sunny will be blowing out her candles in the back yard. Please join us for this momentous occassion post-haste!"

The crowd gets excited as they then walk past Parappa and the others, heading towards the back yard. Potter then holds Sunny's hand, "Let's hurry now before any of them take a bite out of that cake."

As Potter walks Sunny around the house, Sunny looks over her shoulder to the gang, "I-I'll see you all later! Bye, Parappa!" She waves goodbye as she and her dad go into the backyard.

"Bye.." Parappa waves back happily as Ma-san glares at Joe's pile of presents.

"^(&amp;(&amp;*%$" Ma-san said as he crosses her arms against her chest.

"It is a lot..." Lammy said in awe, "Even for Joe, I never would've imagined anyone giving so many presents to one person."

Parappa turns towards the presents, looking at it with a stoic expression this time. He then smiles, "It's not about how expensive or how many things you can give someone to show you care for them," Parappa said as he walks over to his present and picks it up from the ground, "What matters is the meaning behind it." Parappa opens his box, and takes out several music sheets, with the cover page having a doodle of a heart with Parappa's and Sunny's faces in it, titled Sunny's Secret Song. The gang walks over to Parappa, who stares at his music sheets with a soft smile, "I've always wanted to do something special for Sunny, something that she that can always treasure. I've been working on this for a whole year; making sure that Sunny never knew anything about. I wrote and rewrote this every single day until now. It's perfect... and I'm ready to Sunny to hear it!" Parappa then gives copies of his song to the gang, "I need you guys to quickly mesmorize this before we get on stage!"

"That's nuts! We've never even rehearsed this before..." Katy words trail off as she skims over the notes and lyrics, feeling a unique vibe from it, which made her smile widely, "Wow! Then again, maybe this can work for me."

"You guys are the best musicians in the whole world." Parappa said raising his fist, "I know that we can make this happen if you just follow my league."

"Hahaha! I don't know about that, but I can totally hear this beat in my head." Lammy said, as she and Ma-san give the thumbs up.

PJ finishes his hot dog as he then raises his copy of the song in the air, "Let's help Parappa give Sunny the best birthday present ever!"

"YEAH!" The gang holds their copies in the air in excitement.

"Come on! Let's get things ready before they get the cake out!" Katy said as she then rushes over to the backyard.

"We'll see you at the stage Parappa!" Lammy said as she, PJ, and Ma-san follow Katy.

"Thanks guys." Parappa said, nearly tearing up from the excitement. He then smiles confidently and rushes to the back yard, where the party is being held.

The back yard is full of people, with many different colored food stands lined up on the left side, serving different kinds of treats to people. On the far end of the yard, there are small rides and games with a flower theme as a few toddlers are enjoying themselves on spinning flower pots. Just behind Sunny's house are a few tables lined up, with dishes, utensils, party hats, drinks, and such neatly organized, with more empty tables nearby for the people to sit down and eat. Last, but not least, on the right side of the back yard lies a grand musical stage, with several spot lights lined up overhead; a curvature wall on each side, curling from the bottom side to a 90 degreen angle towards the stage; and a blue backdrop of Sunny's happy face. Parappa walks towards the stage, seeing the gang already there, prepping their musical instruments and sound. Parappa let's out a sweat, feeling nervous as stares at the stage. "This is it - no turning back now. Yeah... Yeah! I gotta beli-!"

"Hey, Parappa!"

Parappa gasps as he then looks over at the source of the voice calling him. It's Papa Parappa, heading towards his son while carrying gadgets and tangled with one another. "Whoa, whoa!" the weight of the objects are causing him to lose balance as he clumsily walks left and right, bumping into a few people along the way, knocking some of their food into their clothes while knocking others onto tables.

"Pop? What are you doing here?" Parappa asked as Papa finally manages to stand in front of him, putting his gear on the ground while the people he bumped into yell at him at the background.

"Ha! I'm here to help you with your song." Papa Parappa said as he digs into his gear while Parappa watches confusedly, "I almost forgot today was Sunny's birthday until I saw how you acted this morning. Just like you, I was also working on a secret project of my own." Papa Parappa then takes out a blue and red-orange mic out of the entangled pile, and gives it to Parappa, "Here it is, Parappa! The Speakerappatron! Singing into this little beauty will transmit audio waves that will adjust into the perfect sound frequency to every ear drum within range. In other words, you can turn the volume as loud as you want for everyone to hear without worrying about people covering their ears!"

"Uh, that's pretty cool, Pop, but we already have mics, and we're about to go on in just a few-"

"Don't worry, I'll only need a few seconds to install the Speakerrappatron's receiver into the speakers!" Papa Parappa picks up his equipment and runs past Parappa, rushing over to the speaker on the left side of the stage. Parappa looks at his father at work as he then looks down on the mic he received from him.

"Look, everyone! Here comes the cake!"

Parappa looks back at the center of the backyard, seeing the bakers push a trolley with Sunny's birthday cake on it. It is a chocolate-flavored cake with three layers in shape of hearts, with flower-shaped frosting on the layers' edges, and yellow candles on top. Sunny and General Potter are standings beside it, awaiting all the guests to gather around so they can sing happy birthday to her. Sunny then sees Parappa and waves at him cheerfully. Parappa blushes as he waves back, but stops upon hearing a high-pitched voice.

"Huh? Whoa!" Parappa falls to his side as a pile of dialog bubbles bumps into him. Parappa rubs his behind as the dialog bubbles begin to dissipitate, revealing Joe Chin within it as his voice and theme slows down, speaking at a normal pace again.

"-And after you've opened the 1,261,995th present, you will finally see why this day will always be treasured in your heart, and you will have me to always thank for it." Joe said as he then opens his eyes, realizing that he is no longer in the front yard. He then looks to his side, seeing Parappa on the ground, "Ah, Parappa! You're just the man I'm looking for!"

"Wha?" Parappa blinks in confusion as Joe helps him up on his feet, and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"Parappa, you and I've always been the best of pals. I'm glad that we can both be here for Sunny on this important day."

"Huh? Y-You've always thought of me as your 'best pal'?" Parappa asked in disbelief.

"Of course! That is why I'm going to need of your help." Joe then looks over at Sunny, who looks at the cake in awe as her father is informing the guests to come over, "You see, Parappa, I've been working on giving a secret present to Sunny."

"YOU TOO!? I-I-I mean, really?" Parappa sweats nervously as he looks the other way, trying to be subtle.

"I know that what I brought today is too little for someone like Sunny, so..." Joe reaches his back pocket, and takes out a small box with a sticker of a flower on it, "I am going to surprise with her this. And I want my best man to give this to her."

Joe gives Parappa the small box, as Parappa stares at it in confusion, "Your best man?" Parappa then opens the lid with his thumb. His jaw drops and his eyes dilate instantly upon see what is inside, "WH-WHAT IS THIS!?"

"It's something that money can never buy, and it can only be forged by an unbreakable bond of two lovebirds." Joe said proudly as Parappa is looking at a big diamond ring in shape of Joe's figure, "Yes, since the day I've met her, today is the best day to tell you that I will propose to Sunny Funny and make her my wife!"

Parappa's eyes go blank, having the thought of Joe and Sunny marrying each other before his eyes, "P-P-P-PROPOSE!? YOUR WIFE!?"

"There will never be another day like this, so I must make my move now before it is too late." Joe said with a nod, while Parappa maintains his dumbfound look, shaking the ring in exasperation, "I have achieved many great things in my livelyhood, but all of that will be meaningless if I don't win the heart of the most beautiful girl in the world. She is the beacon to my everlasting greatness."

Parappa stops shaking as his ears stand straight up upon hearing that. His ears go back the way they were as Parappa tightens his grip on Joe's ring box, and turns over at Joe with a glare, "That's it!? You want to marry her to make her your trophy!?"

"Well, trophies aren't living things, so-"

"You can't just marry someone so you can feel like you accomplished something! It's only when two people have deep feelings for each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together! Sunny isn't someone for you to put on display!"

Joe finally senses Parappa's anger, and looks down at him while scratching his head in confusion, "Um, are you feeling okay? You seem a little upset for some reason-"

"Of course I'm upset!" Parappa replied, gripping tightly at the objects at hand, "You want to marry Sunny!? You think you need her!? I NEED HER! There hasn't been a single day I haven't thought about Sunny since I've met her! I've always loved her, and I want to be with her forever! But we're just kids, so - THAT'S WHY I WON'T DO SOMETHING AS STUPID AS TO ASK SUNNY TO MARRY ME!" It is in that sentence that snapped Parappa out of his anger, as that phrase sounded louder than it should have been. Parappa lets out a cold sweat, noticing that he is holding the Speakerappatron up close with his left hand the whole time. He nervously looks over at his father, who stares at him dumbfoundedly as he had just installed the Speakerappatron's receiver into the speakers moments ago.

In that instant, everyone heard Parappa's voice echo in their heads, dumbfounded at what they just heard.

"What the!?" Katy gasped as she, PJ, Lammy, and Ma-san look over to Parappa in shock. General Pepper spits out his drink upon hearing that as the guests around the food court, the rides, and around the cake look over at Parappa, as they murmur amongst themselves. The speakers let out a sharp noise after Parappa's voice nearly damaged its woofers. Joe blinks in surprise as Parappa slowly turns his head towards the party, where everybody stares at him in awe. Parappa can only hear the sound of his own heartbeat beating faster at every second passing by, knowing things are going to get worse. And even he though he saw it coming, he wasn't prepared for it, as he looks over at Sunny, who has her hands over her mouth, heartbroken by Parappa's outburst. All of the guests won't stop talking about it, which is making her feel even worse as she tear is comes out from a corner of her eye. Parappa shakes nervously, feeling faint enough to collapse, but can't help but stare into Sunny's sad eyes.

"S-Sunny!" Parappa said under his breath as sweat goes down his cheek, "I - UNGH!?"

But before Parappa can speak, another sound can heard as clear as day, only it didn't come from the speakers. It is a sound that freezes everyone in their tracks.

Throughout the whole yard, the whole town, the whole world, throughout every plane of existence, a deep bass tune is heard, with chimes added with it two seconds later. Everybody and everything alive hears the tune in unison, even those that are deaf can feel the sounds encompass their very beings. The greatest of heroes, villains, adventurers, and individuals also hear this sound, with all of them having their own kinds of reactions. The jingles of the tune stop as the bass plays out again in a deeper tune.

**^ O X []**

On a sidewalk near the beach at Rio de Janiero, everybody stands still as they hear the sound slowly end in silence. Nathan and Elena were on the sidewalk, looking at the sky among other civilians nearby.

"What was that?" Elena asked, still having her arms wrapped around Nathan's left arm.

Nathan -still having his tacos at hand- squints his eyes, being just as perplexed as everyone else, "I'm... not sure-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMFFFFFFFFFBFBFBFFBFBFFBFBFB!

Just then, an earthquake shakes the ground immediately after the tune ended, shaking everything in the city. "WAAHHH!" Nathan and Elena fall down, with Drake's tacos falling and dirtying Nathan's shirt, as everyone begins to panic. "Elena, hang on!"

Nathan crawls over to Elena, as the two hug each other while some are doing the same, while everyone else is either running or swaying left and right by the quake's magnitude. Every building, road, and landscape is within the quake's radius, shaking everything violently to no end in sight.

**^ OX[]**

Toro's house shakes, stopping Kuro and the TV from their fight, as Toro is alarmed, "O-Oh dear! It's an earthquake!"

"Wooooaahh!" Kuro runs in circles in fear, as the TV's cat figure shakes it's arms.

"Hurry, Toro! Get under the table!" The TV exclaimed.

"Meoww!" Toro cried, crawling under the table while the sound of the quake distressing him. He then looks over at Kuro, "Kuro! Get over here quick!"

"Aaahh! Earthquake! We need to get out of here!" Kuro cried while running around in circles.

"Oh for the love of!" The TV summons a pan out of thin air, as it falls over Kuro's head, knocking him out as he then falls on his back with swirls over his eyes.

"Kuro!" Toro gets out from underneath the table, and pulls his friend back underneath, hugging him tightly from behind as he looks around his room, which shakes tremondously, "Wha! Please let it end soon!"

**^ O X[]**

Heihachi's back yard rumbles fiercely, as Heihachi's men hurry into the backyard to get their master. "Mishima-sama! It's an earthquake! We need to get you to a safe location!"

Heihachi continues to meditate with a big frown, sitting firm in place, not moving an inch despite the quake shaking him and everything around it.

"Mishima-sama!" The men cried, some of them falling over while others are holding on to the wooden fences near them.

**^O X []**

"Ungh!?" Kratos eyes shoot open, feeling the quake shaking the cave he is in to its entirety. Kratos is fully awake from the sudden eruption, having a sense of adrenaline course through his body. "Nngh-ugh!" The quake knocks Kratos into the pool of water in front of him and falling into it. Kratos cries out in the water, bubbles coming out of his mouth to pop out on the water's surface. He tries to move, but his body still aches from the pain, not sensing the adrenaline just yet. The blood from his wound dyes the water red, as Kratos grits his teeth in anger while struggling to get out, slowly feeling his senses coming back to his body, feeling the pain from his wound and the quake shake his very being.

**^O [] X**

"What is happ - uuaahhhhh!" Raiden cried as his body releases a current of electricity, shocking him continously and the motorcycle he is riding. "Can't-ugghh!" Raiden looses control of his motorcycle on a nearly empty highway, falling over on his side he and his bike skid along the road, releasing multiple sparks in the process. He and the bike crash into the guardrail at midway of a curve, as the bike then catches on fire.

"Unnghh - AAAHHHHHH!" Raiden tries to get up, but falls on his back in pain. He curls into a fetal position, holding his head in agony as his body goes numb with pain. His dilated eyes are turning red and blue back and forth, as well as the electricity shocking him, all while the quake continues to cause havoc.

**^ X[] O**

The Professor's lab shakes intensely, as Spike and Jake hold on to the Time Station's platform. "Professor! What's going on!?"

The Professor and Natalie stay low on the ground, as the monitors then flash a warning sign repeatedly, "WARNING! A HIGH MAGNITUDE QUAKE HAS ERUPTED IN THE VICINITY!" Cassi's voice is heard throughout the whole lab, "PLEASE STAY INSIDE! DO NOT MOVE UNLESS IT IS A-A-AA-ABSOLUTELY NECESSARYYYyyyyy!" Static flashes over the monitors, disrupting Cassi's warning.

Natalie is on her knees, holding around the side of the control panel for dear life, while the Professer stays near the Time Station's manual control. Natalie's eyes then widen in shock, "Professor! The Time Machine!"

"Hmm!?" The Professor looks up, seeing the Time Machine is active, creating a blue glow around Spike and Jake. "Oh no!" The Professor gets up to stop the machine, but trips over a screwdiver on the ground behind him. The Professor falls on his back, causing Spike and Jake to gasp.

"Professor, are you all right!?" Jake cried, as the Time Machine them causes him and Spike to levitate within its platform, "Whoa!?"

"Get out of there, you two!" The Professor cried while trying to sit up, but it is too late.

"WHOOAAAA!" In a blink of an eye, the Time Machine creates a blue shockwave from the platform, imploding into a sphere shortly afterward as Spike and Jake disappear within.

"Spike! Jake!" Natalie cried, while the Professor looks on horrified.

**O ^[] X**

Dante's apartment shakes the same as everywhere else, with the rats and the roaches running around in the hallways. Inside Dante's living room, Dante is fast asleep, drunken to a state that his body doesn't register the rumbling going on. He sleeps soundly with his arm over his eyes, as panic insues outside.

**O[]X ^**

"Huh!? What the!" Daxter opens his eyes upon feeling the Cruiser shaking, "Jak! What are you doing!?"

"It's not me!" Jak replied with grit teeth, as an earthquake is also taking place in the Wastelands, shaking the desert ground while the Hellcat Cruiser is losing control. Jak then looks over the cruiser's power gauge near the steering wheel, which flickers its lights on and off, "Dax, something is wrong with the ship! I'm gonna try to land!"

"Are you insane!? We're safer up he - WHAAAA!"

"AAHHH!" The Hellcat Cruiser loses control as it flys over a small sand dune in the way.

CRAAAASH!

**O^ X[]**

People in the Red Kingdom's market place panic, grabbing their children to go to safe location. The quake shakes the whole Red Kingdom and the land far over the horizon.

"Whuhuhuhuhuh!" The Red King loses his balance, as he then slips over the frosting on the table, "Ah!" The King falls off the table, and was about to fall on the floor, but his servants came and caught him before he could.

"Wbwbwbwbwbwbw!" Plump cried as her body jiggles nonstop from the quake's magnitude. The servants and a few guards gather around Plump and her father, shielding them overhead with their platters and shields to protect them from any incoming debris.

On the throne area, a few guards are protecting the Aide, who is horrified by the tragic event that's happening. "Goodness gracious!"

**O X ^[]**

Even at the Hall of Heroes the quake makes its presence known, rumbling everything and everyone inside. The heroes maintain their ground, trying their best not to lose their balance. "What the devil is goin' on here!?" Bloodmonath asked fiercely.

"It's an earthquake!" Canny Tim exclaimed while hiding underneath the dining table.

"Vy vould der ve an earthquake 'ere!?" Karl Stungard asked, holding his shield overhead while Megywynne stays close to him.

Megywynne then sees Sir Daniel dazedly getting rocked left and right by the quake, "Daniel! Be careful!"

"Woooooaaaoooo!" Sir Daniel tries to regain his balance, but his mental state kept him from moving correctly. He then slips back and hits his skull on a chair, popping it off his body. "WHUUUH!" Daneil's skull bounces around the hall, eventually landing in between his statue's neck hole, getting stuck in the process.

**O []^X**

Sly manages to keep his balance in the quake's magnitude, as the thief was startled by the sudden eruption. "Huh?" Sly looks over his shoulder and sees a sandstorm heading right towards him. "Agh!" Sly squints his eyes and covers his face with his arms, as he gets caught in the storm. He struggles harder to maintain his position, when suddenly, a mechanic debris from the blimp falls right towards him. "Whoa!" Sly jumps out of the way as the machinery falls on the sand he was standing on. Sly hurries behind a boulder blocking most of the sand, and places his back against it, catching his breath.

Sly takes a few deep breaths to calm down, but the quake continues to stress him. Suddenly, a blue light appears, glowing it's rays over Sly, "What th-WHOA!" Sly gasped as he falls down, all while the light continues to glow brighter.

**X^ O[]**

The Aphelion goes out of control, flashing it's warning sign repeatedly on the HUD. "DA-DANGER! LOSING STA-STA-STABILITY! EN-ENGINE OVERHEA-HEATING!" The ship's AI repeated itself, with the voice sounding deeper with each second.

"What the heck is happening!?" Ratchet exclaimed, having a firm grip over the steering wheel, "Clank, I can't use the radar! Is someone attacking us!?"

"I-I-I do-don't know!" Clank stuttered, as the light in his eyes are flickering, "Ra-Ratchet! M-My body-!" Clank's body releases a few sparks before Clank lays motionless on his chair.

"Clank? CLANK!" Ratched cried, as his ship's boosters automatically activate, "Whuughh!" The Aphelion goes out of the control, bumping into a few small asteroids, leaving marks on its frame. As the ship goes out of control, the clouds on a planet nearby begin to shift into random locations.

**X[]^ O**

A wave washes over the deck, knocking Zeke against the side of Cole's coffin. "Holy s**t!" Zeke cried, coughing up some water. The storm instantly grew worse in a matter of seconds, as Zeke can see bigger waves in the distance.

"Hold on to something!" The captain yelled from the bridge.

A strap holding Cole's coffin from below breaks, causing it to move a little. "No!" Zeke holds on to the Coffin, pulling it back to the center of the deck. Zeke looks up angrily at the chaos around him, "You think can mess with my brother's funeral!? Come try to take him from me if you can, you bastards!" Zeke shifts his weight over Cole's coffin some more, using all his strength to keep it from moving.

A lightning bolt in form of a question mark then shoots down at the rocking boat below.

**XO ^ []**

"Look out!" The Helghast soldiers positioned on a road near Visari Palace get out of the way as a vehicle zooms past them and falls over to its side, shooting sparks out its frame shortly afterwards. The quake shakes the whole ruins of the city, with many soldiers panicking in the process.

"Aaahhh!" One soldier cried as multiple sparks shoot out from the gadgets he has equipped, as well as many other soldiers that are nearby.

**X []O^**

Kai and Shen stay close as the earthquake is keeping them on their toes. "Kai, we must get away from the cliff!" Shen exclaimed, guiding Kai out of the beach.

"Aaahhh!" Kai screamed as she and Shen leave the beach, with the rock formation Kai made for Nariko staying in place.

**X^ []O**

Big Daddy's eye holes glow red as he looks up at the sewer pipes on the ceiling vibrating from the quake's magnitude. "Mr. B!?" Little Sister cried as the whole Sanctuary was shaking nonstop. The Little Sister doesn't know what to do, as she is too scared to think clearly.

"MMUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" Big Daddy gets and grabs Little Sister around her waist. He then puts her on the ground and shields her with his whole body.

**[]OX ^**

"Run for your lives!" The guests at Sunny's backyard run around, panicking over the earthquake taking place.

Katy, PJ, Lammy, and Ma-san huddle together, while Papa Parappa is trying to get to his son, but can't pass the wave of people running by him, "Parappa!'

"Whoa!" Parappa has trouble maintaining his footing, as Joe Chin acts heroically.

"Have no fear, everyone," Joe exclaimed, "I will stop this quake with my own two hands!" Joe then leaps into the air and lands on the ground, punching it repeatedly, "Take that, mother nature! I'll teach you to come to Sunny's birthday party uninvited!"

"Sunny!" Parappa shouted for Sunny, who is with her father as they were trying to get everyone to calm down, "Sunny, I'm coming!" Parappa dashes for Sunny, but trips over a spike in the quake's magnitude, throwing off his balance. "Whoa!" Parappa staggers forward, as he turns around and falls onto the edge of the table where Sunny's cake was in. The cake falls over Parappa's head, covering most of his body with frosting. "Ughhh..."

People continue to run around, some of them stepping over Parappa's music sheets.

**[]^ XO**

Birds fly up in the sky uncontrollably as down below, the Gardens rumble under the quake's magnitude. "AAAahhh!" The people there run away in panic, some of them running inside their cardboard houses. "Oh dear, oh dear!" The King doesn't know what to do, as he stands firmly one spot while his eyes spin in circles.

Sackboy is horrified by everything going on around, as he then trips and falls in front of the empty space he was about to create something on. He pushes himself from the ground, looking up in distress, as he then blinks upon seeing one of the blocks in the distance growing bigger. He looks around, and seeing objects appear out of nowhere, filling the Gardens at a quick pace. Sackboy gets up and runs, as many objects appear around his path and other things around him growing bigger.

**[] X O ^**

"Come on! Why aren't you moving!?" The pilot of the armed helicopter mutters to himself, as none of the buttons he is pushing are responding. Sweet Tooth is having the same problem, as the machinery in his truck is malfunctioning amidst the quake shaking the vehicle up and down.

"GRRAAGH!" Sweet Tooth slams his fist on the control panel right of his steering wheel, causing a slot to open from the top corner of his truck as a missile pops out. The truck fires the missile, releasing a big stream of orange smoke as heads straight for the armed helicopter.

"Move!" The pilot panicked, trying to move his helicopter, but it is too late.

BOOM!

The missile explodes, blowing up the cockpit in a fiery fashion. The armed helicopter spirals out of control, heading towards the New's station helicopter that is also malfunctioning.

"Get us the hell out of here!" The reporter cried to the pilot, who panics as he tries to get the helicopter working.

"Look out!" The cameraman exclaimed, pointing at the armed helicopter spiralling at their direction.

KABOOM!

Both helicopters blow up upon hitting each other, as they both fall hard on the desert ground below, bits of their frame falling in different directions. Small flames scatter across the debris, as well as a pool of blood dripping from the news station's helicopter. The reporter is the only one who survived the crash, having her attire torn here and there, covered in blood from the cuts and bruises she obtained after the rough landing.

"MmNnnghh.." The reporter dazedly crawls forward, wincing at every movement she makes. She can see a clear path ahead amongst the destruction, feeling the quake dissipating at last. "Ugh!" She stops, feeling something around her ankle. She shivers the thought of what it might be, as she tried to move forward, but something was holding her ankle back. She knows she needs to look back, even though she knows that something worse is going to happen when she does. She looks over her shoulder, and her heart skips a beat, seeing Sweet Tooth kneeling down behind her, grabbing her ankle casually with one hand, having his machete at the other. "No... NO!" The reporter frantically tries to crawl away, but Sweet Tooth is too strong for her, "NOOOO!" The reporter is dragged away, filling the destruction around her with screams.

**^ O X []**

The rumbling stops, as another sound is heard again, a soothing chime that ends in a few notes. The earthquake is finally over.

Everyone who experienced this event ask themselves why an earthquake took place in their respective locations. There is never a simple explanation when it comes to these kinds of disasters, but fear makes anyone try to find a solution to ease themselves. Those that are Great -while some are not used to these events as others- will have this moment added in their legacies, and will use it as experience to guide themselves and those they care for back in a state of being they have spent their lives giving shape and form.

Little do they all know, this moment does not end here.

For all their greatest achievements, there is one thing none of them has ever done before; something that will put their legacies to the test. Those that are "Great" have no idea what will become of them, what they are going to do from here on out. They will see for themselves that greatness has a price, and it's up to them to live up to their titles. A new era has begun! An era where the Great will gather and fulfill their destinies!

**GREATNESS AWAITS**

**PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS**

**THE ERA OF GREATNESS**

* * *

**This has been a quite a journey to get this finished, and this story has just started. I've just regained my enthusiasm to write again, so expect a lot more chapters in 2016. I hope you all have a happy holiday! Ciao for now!  
**


	4. Aftershock: Chapter 1

**Yay! I updated before the month ended! **

**So we now begin our first arc of the story - Aftershock- labelled as such above the chapter. From here on out, I'm going to be focusing on a few characters in different chapters. This is where the challenge into making this fic comes in: there are so many characters doing stuff in so many different places, it's like writing multiple stories for one. The pacing will be different from OP:ASA as you have seen in the introduction and will see in this chapter, and I'm still trying to figure out how to put everything in place, but I'm getting there. :) **

**For right now, I will put in a few characters in each chapter to have the chapters at a decent length. And yes, I know "Less is more", but this chapter was fun to make even if it looks lengthy or not. **

**Anyway, here is the first chapter of the arc. Enjoy!**

* * *

** ^ O - Aftershock - X [] **

**Chapter 1: The rust of the Great Chain  
**

The earthquake has left guests distressed in Sunni's backyard, many of them lying around in the lawn, dazed from the unexpected event. Despite of everything, none of them are seriously injured, even the rides, the food stands, and the stage are intact. Everyone starts to recompose, helping each other on their feet, aiding the children from the tea cup rides and around the food stands.

Papa Parappa lies dazedly over a pile of wires near the sound system, holding his head as he tries to get up. "Oh my aching head..." He said irritably, raising his head to look at his surroundings. His ears then raise in shock, looking back over to the stage. "Hello up there! Are you kids alright!?"

"Ooohh..." PJ and Ma-song eyes swirl, lying in between the drum set and the keyboard in a dazed state like everyone else. Katy helps Lammy up on her knee at the front of the stage.

"We're okay, Mr. Parappa!" Katy said reassuringly, "Just give us a few seconds to catch our breath!"

"Oh what a relief!" Parappa sighed, placing his hand over his chest with his eyes closed. He then looks alarmed again, "Oh! What about Parappa!?"

Papa Parappa and the gang look over at Parappa from afar, seeing him lying up against the knocked down table, having Sunny's cake all over him. He has never felt so horrible in his life. Not only did he lose control of himself in front of everyone, but an earthquake happened and completely ruined Sunni's birthday. It's like his worst nightmare was made into reality.

"Ungh..." Parappa comes to, putting his hand over his forehead in a dazed state. He opens his eyes slowly, noticing his father and his friends rushing over to him.

"Parappa! Are you okay!?" Papa Parappa asked, kneeling besides his son.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" PJ asked, raising a few fingers in front of Parappa.

"Give him some space! Let him get up!" Katy exclaimed.

Parappa looks around with his eyes half open, looking at their friends' concerned expressions.

"Parappa! Say something!" Lammy said worried, with Ma-san saying the same thing next to her.

Without thinking about it, Parappa looks past his friends, seeing some of the guests walking by. They haven't forgotten what Parappa said before the quake happened, as some of them shake their heads at the pup with disappointed looks. Others begin to murmur about him again, which Parappa can hear more clearly than the words from his friends and father, causing his lips to curl in distress. Parappa then looks a little to his right, seeing his worst fear culminating instantly. Looking past his father, Joe is talking to General Potter in his usual heroic mannerism. The General nods repeatedly with his hand around his chin with a stoic expression. In front of the two, Sunni is there, keeping her distance from Parappa.

"Sunny..." Parappa said in a weak tone, still dazed from his fall earlier.

"Don't move, son! Let me get this cake off you first!" Papa Parappa said, trying to keep his son from injuring himself more, as he grabs a napkin from the ground and rubs Parappa's frosting covered cheeks.

Sunni looks on, as Parappa's harsh words continue to echo in her head, making her feel incredible sad. Parappa notices this, as his eyes dilate in response. "Parappa..." Sunni begins to say, as tears then stream from her eyes. She can't help but burrow her face into her hands, hurrying into her house. Parappa's eyes shoot open, hurrying up on his feet.

"Oof!" Papa Parappa is pushed away on the ground by his son, who runs after Sunni.

"SUNNY! WAIT! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Parappa cried, as Sunny hurries inside her home, slamming the door behind her. Parappa looks on sadly, as General Potter walks by him, staring at him with an upset look before looking at the guests.

"Attention, everyone! I'm afraid we're going to cut this party short." General Potter said to the guests, "I apologize to all of you, but please remain calm. Right now, I need everyone that are injured to drive to the nearest hospital in an orderly fashion. Thank you for coming to my daughter's Birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day."

The guests sigh as they all begin to leave. Parappa then stands next to the General, "Sir! What happened just now - !"

"You have said enough, soldier," General Potter replied in an upset tone, not looking at Parappa "Don't make this more complicated."

General Potter goes into his home, leaving Parappa on his own. Parappa looks down at the ground in disbelief, still flabbergasted by everything that has happened. He then sees his musical sheets laying on the ground nearby, wrinkled and muddy from everyone panicking during the quake.

"Oh no..." Parappa walks over to his sheets in silence, as Papa Parappa pushes himself up to sit upright.

"Parappa!" Papa Parappa tried to get up to comfort his son, but doesn't get a response from him. He sees his son kneel over to grab his sheets, disheartening him in the process, knowing that there is nothing he can do or say to cheer him up. The gang stand around Papa Parappa, saddened to see their friend in such a state. "This is all my fault..."

Parappa looks at his sheets again, as his tears drop on some of the notes.

**^ O X []**

A car is parked on the side of the highway, with its headlights shining its rays through the dark, shining over a man's back. The man in the light is carefully walking ahead, looking back at his girlfriend standing behind the open car door.

"Don't worry; I got this." The man said. The woman nodded, having her hand close to her face in worry, watching her boyfriend get close to what lies ahead. The man casts his shadow over Raiden, who is crawling alongside the rail, getting away from his broken motorcycle, which is releasing a cloud of dark smoke from its burnt up engine.

"Uuughh..." Raiden weakly places his right arm over the rail next to him, using the strength he has left to push himself up from the ground. The cyborg is in bad shape, having multiple burnt wounds he received from getting electrocuted all over his body, sparks crackling out of them every now and then. He is also bleeding from some of his suit's openings, as well from the top of his skull, blood streaming down across the center of his face. His eyes are half open, blankily staring ahead as if he can't tell what is real or not. He headed towards his briefcase -where he has his sword- that fell off the bike before the crash, moving slowly towards it with short, tired, breaths.

The man carefully approaches Raiden from the side with a worried expression, maintaining some distance, "H-Hey - are you okay, buddy?" He asked.

"GGRRRRRR!" Raiden turns his head at the man with a snarl, glaring at him with fiery, glowing, red eyes.

"Whuh!?" The man gasped, taking a few steps back from Raiden's sudden outburst.

Raiden's body then emenates a red misty aura. The sight of it would make even a strong man's blood to freeze with fear. Raiden then smirks wildly, clenching the rail hard enough to bend the top of it inwardly. The man and the woman are frozen in place, having no idea what Raiden is going to do. Raiden takes a step towards the man, but frowns instantly upon doing so.

"GAH!" Raiden's eye color flickers back to blue. He staggers back against the rail, doubling over in the process. He breathes heavily as his vision grows blurry, seeing the road glow red to grey and vice-versa. Raiden covers some of his chest wounds with his left arm, gritting his teeth in pain, "Grrr... stop it! STOP!" Raiden smacks the side of his head with his right hand, causing his eyes to stop turning red for a second longer. "Aaagh!" He continues to hit his head harder after each hit, his head getting numb from the blows. He hits himself one last time, strong enough to release another current of electricity, electrifying his head repeatedly, "AAAAHHHHH!" His deadly aura then dissipates into thin air and his eyes return to their natural color. "Uughh..." The electricity around Raiden's skull stops as well, as the cyborg sighs in relief and collapses over his left shoulder with a loud thud. Raiden lays motionless on the floor, smiling weakly with his arms clamped around his chest.

The man looks back at his girlfriend with the same worried expression. She is at a loss of words as well, doing nothing but shrug with uneasiness. The man slowly looks back at Raiden, getting closer to him while staying alert. He nervously extends his arm out to Raiden, gently grabbing him by the shoulder. He then turns Raiden on his back, gasping at the wounds the cyborg has on him.

"Oh man, you're hurt real bad!" The man gasped. He then looks back at his girlfriend, "Helena, call an ambulance! He's wounded!"

"O-Okay!" The girlfriend, Helena, replied, taking out her smartphone to call for help.

The man then kneels over Raiden's side, "Hang in there, buddy! Help is on the way!"

The man continues to talk, but Raiden can't hear him. He can't hear anything that is going on around him, nor can he hear anything in his head. He can't even feel his own senses, as they have grown numb from the pain. The cyborg can do nothing but stare blankily at the the dark clear sky above, eyes half open like before. His right eye twitches, glowing red for a split second before turning blue again.

**^ O X []**

"OooOOOooooh..."

Bentley lies dazed on the ground with his wheelchair after the dreaded quake, having fallen over from the quake's magnitude, "Oooh, my head!" He said, rubbing his temples with his right hand, and searching for his glasses with the other, tapping at different parts of the wooden floor with his palm. "Ah! There we go." Bentley finds his glasses, putting them back on. He blinks a few times, staring up at the ceiling as his vision becomes clear, "Oh boy... Do I dare look around?" Bentley is afraid to see the damages in his apartment, taking one big gulp as he pushes a button on his wheelchair's arm pad.

A pair of long, robotic, arms, with four fingers, pop out from the top portion of the mechanism attached behind the wheelchair's back rest, pushing the chair and Bentley back upright. The arms go back into the mechanism, as Bentley adjusts his glasses, bewildered by the mess before him. And by mess, there is none; all the artwork, treasure, one-of-a-kind items are neatly in their displays, as if the quake never happened.

"Well then -" Bentley said astounded, arms on his hips, "Now this is what I call a fortunate turn of events. Who needs insurance when you have such fine craftsmanship. Then again," Bentley rubs the back of his head, "It was me who built the displays up from scratch."

As Bentley turns his wheelchair around with a sheepy smile on his face, he sees that his computer is rebooting. Bentley raises an eyebrow, "There must have been a power outage; Ugh - the mortal enemy of every nerd worldwide." Bentley then pushes another button on his arm pad. The chair's mechanism opens a slot from its bottom portion's right side, as Bentley's laptop comes out connected with a metal gadget, which places the laptop several inches over Bentley's lap, placing it in just the right spot for Bentley to use efficiently. Bentley squints his eyes, seeing that his laptop has just finished rebooting. "Hmm..." Bentley checks the power to his wheelchair with his laptop, displaying his wheelchair's engine grid on the monitor. He sees the chair's power grid stabilizing, causing Bentley to rub his chin in confusion, "That's perplexing. Did the chair get damaged? I wouldn't be surprised if that were only the case, but why did -"

Suddenly, an alarm screen flashes black and red on Bentley's computer monitor on his desk.

"Huh!?" Bentley turns his gaze at the screen, seeing a small Cooper Gang symbol flash red with the alarm on the bottom right portion of the screen. Bentley's eyebrows furrow with worry, hurrying over to his computer, putting away his laptop back into his chair's mechanism. He places his hand on the mouse and clicks on the flashing symbol. The alarm screen closes, as several windows enlarge from the symbol, covering the whole screen. They are all camera footages, displaying different areas of Bentley's laboratory of sorts. The laboratory is a mess, with viles and papers scattered across the ground, as well as chairs and other kinds of furniture. There are broken jars laying around a science table, with the chemicals that were contained in the jars leaking over the edges, letting out deadly fumes and disfiguring the surface it touched. Bentley's jaw drops, having trouble registering everything he is seeing. The thought of seeing such a mess in his lab was improbable, especially now as he is feeling the irony from his comments moments before.

"Oh no... OH NO!" Bentley looks at the camera footage window in the center of his screen, raising his eyebrows in horror. Bentley quickly looks back at the recorded footage in a nervous state, with the footage showing nothing but static while rewinding, "What the!?" Bentley gasped, baring his teeth nervously. After a few seconds, the footage then shows a particular part of the lab, showing a pedestal having a small display case with a book inside, having multiple lasers around the case. The turtle then looks at the time the footage was taken. "This was right before the earthquake happened!"

Sparing no time, Bentley plays the footage normally, taking account for any abnormal activity. Nothing moves in that footage, which makes Bentley even more nervous. The footage then shows static, which Bentley plays out as he increases the volume to his computer speakers. He tries to ignore the sound of the white noise, trying to hear any weird noises in the background. "Huh?" He hears a few sounds, but it is hard to tell what they are. The static stops, showing the lab again in it's messy state, with the center window showing once again the image that sparked Bentley's nerves.

Bentley gets closer to the screen, seeing the timer on the footage again, "This is - This happened moments after the earthquake stopped! No no no no NO NO!" Bentley throws his hands beside his head, "How could this have happened!? My security is top notch! There is no way anyone could have gone through in that span of time!" Looking around, he takes a few of his gadgets lying on the table, "This couldn't have happened in a worse time!" After putting his gadgets away, Bentley hurries to the front door, "I need to get Murray! This is a Grade-A emergency!"

Bentley leaves his apartment, frantically getting his door closed and locked before leaving while saying gibberish out loud. Back at in his computer screen, the camera footage in the center shows that some of the objects of the lab are gathered in one area where the book is. The lasers are offline, and the book and pedestal are gone.

**^ O X []**

The Sanctuary is quiet once more, having nothing but the sound of sewer water flowing out of the pipes and the radio giving off static. Big Daddy's portholes glow yellow, slowly standing up on one knee, as the Little Sister is seen in a fetal position. She raises her head with worry, looking at her surroundings while trying to stay calm.

"I-Is it over?" Little Sister asked, getting on her knees. Big Daddy pats Little Sister on her head, calming her down. Seconds later, the radio starts playing another song.

_"Somewhere... beyond the sea. Somewhere, waiting for me -"_

BOOM!

A loud explosion is heard above, shaking the pipes on the ceiling, dust falling over Big Daddy and Little Sister. "Oh? Fireworks?" Little Sister blinks in confusion. Gunfire is then heard above, with the sound of cries and screaming accompanying it shortly after.

"F&amp;*^ing bastard!"

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Get out of my way, you bloody fairy!"

"Guuuuughhh.." Big Daddy groaned, hearing multiple voices above. A few seconds later, he hears the alarms the turrets make when they spot an enemy, hearing them fire their weapons instantly. Little Sister gets up, staying close to Big Dadddy, who listens intently at the sounds above. The Protecter then hears more explosions and more voices, causing him to raise his head alarmingly.

"F*&amp;^ off! You're stuck with me unless you let me open this door!"

Big Daddy turns towards the staircase, hearing different voices that are coming from the Sanctuary's entrance.

Little Sister hugs Big Daddy's leg, scared, "A-Are the Angels here? How did they find us?" Big Daddy's port holes glow red, as he gets up and catches the Little Sister's attention, pointing at her backpack. "We're leaving!? Um - okay!" while the girl is scared, she understands what she must do. She grabs her backpack and audio diary near her bed, and hurries over into the medical room. Big Daddy stands guard, as the Little Sister opens the drawer filled with ADAM, putting all the viles in her backpack as fast as she can.

"GUUUUUUUGHH!" Big Daddy groaned, making Little Sister to hurry as she wears the backpack around her back, having the audio diary attached to the backpack's side. The girl runs out of the medical room, rushing over to the vent on the wall. As she pulls herself in legs first, Big Daddy quickly grabs a map, and gives it to her. The Little Sister sadly looks at Big Daddy from within the vent, as she then looks at the map given to her.

"B-But Mr. B! That is so far away!" Little Sister cried, "How are you going to get th-"

BANG!

Big Daddy slams his fist on the vent's rim, bending it a little as Little Sister gets scared in the process. The girl opens her eyes nervously, seeing Big Daddy's portholes glow brighter in red, "O-Okay! I'm going! ... Please be there!" She then goes down the vent, as Big Daddy gently places his hand on the vent with his portholes glowing green for a few seconds. Big Daddy then turns around with his portholes glowing red again, and runs off with his drill slowly spinning, leaving the radio to play the rest of the song.

Big Daddy runs up the stairs, stomping his way across the hall, seeing the double doors are getting cut open by a spark on the other side. The Protector groans loudly, as he charges at the door shoulder first, bending and knocking the cut piece and the rest of the door over the Splicer that was cutting the door open. "GUGH!" The Splicer cried, falling on his back with the door falling on him, as Big Daddy then stomps over his face, crushing his skull in half.

"Yaaaah!" A Thuggish Splicer runs up to Big Daddy from the side and hits him across his right shoulder with his wrench. Big Daddy doesn't faze from the blow, as he swings his drill outward in retaliation, hitting and cutting the Splicer up against the wall near the open Sanctuary entrance. "Gugh!" The Splicer is dazed, as Big Daddy then grabs him by the neck and starts up his drill.

"It's past your bed time, young man!"

Suddenly, a Leadhead Splicer comes out of hiding from a pillar behind Big Daddy, and shoots the Protector rapidly with her machine gun. The bullets clank against Big Daddy's back and engine, as Big Daddy swiftly throws the Splicer he was choking to the Leadhead Splicer, knocking her down on her back with the Thuggish Splicer laying motionless on top of her. "GOOOOOOAAAAAA!" Big Daddy stomps forward at the Splicers, and skewers through their bodies with his active drill, causing them to scream as their blood and gore are splattering on the area around them and over Big Daddy's body. As Big Daddy continues to drill them apart, the sewer gate is cut open from the other side, as the turrets guarding the gate go off, shooting at the Splicers in its view. More screaming is heard, as a stick of dynamite then flies in, landing in front of the turret.

BOOM!

The explosion destroys the turret, creating a big dust cloud in the process. Big Daddy looks over at the cloud, and sees a red light glowing from within the cloud, hearing a ringing sound from its direction. Big Daddy quickly raises its drill over his face, as a spray of bullets fire at him from the light's direction. The light comes out of the cloud, as it turns out to be a light from a security bot, which is made of boat motors and turrets, having two propellers to make it fly. "MUUGHH!" Big Daddy clenches his fist his anger, as he swings his drill to the side, and shoots an electric current at the bot with his hand. The bot sparks as it falls on the ground paralyzed. Big Daddy then kicks the bot hard back into the cloud, crashing into something before blowing up shortly afterwards.

"Oi! There's a damn Big Daddy in there!" A Splicer exclaimed from outside the Sewer entrance.

"Let's go then! He must have a sister with her! We can get ADAM from her after we kill him!"

"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOO!" Big Daddy roars with his arm and drill apart from his chest, as he then charges into the cloud with fury. Screams and gunfire are heard moments later, defened by the sound of Big Daddy's drill tearing them apart. A Leadhead Splicer with a shotgun walks backwards up the slope back in the tram tunnel from the dust cloud in the sewer entrance, shooting downward at the Protecter after him, bullets clanking upon impact. The dust disperses upon Big Daddy walking up the slope, as the Protector then charges towards the Splicer and uppercuts him with his drill, slicing his chest and face open, blood and gore splurting out from there, as the Splicer gets knocked into the air and falls dead on his back. "Guuughh!" Big Daddy slows down his drill and takes a few steps forward, shocked by what he sees around him.

All around Big Daddy, Splicers are all over the place, fighting each other with crowbars, guns, explosives, and other tools of mass destruction, all trying to kill each other in a berserked state.

"DIE, YOU!" A Leadhead Splicer fires her shotgun into another Splicer's face, taking him down instantly. The Leadhead scurries on top of the corpse, digging her nails into the corpse's stomach, bloodying her fingers. "ADAM! ADAM! Where is it!?" Another Splicer then comes in, hitting the Leadhead Splicer over the head with a crowbar, causing her to buckle, as the Splicer continues to club her down. Similar attacks are happening all the Protector, even on the Bistro's rooftop, as one of the Splicers falls off, landing on his head, breaking his neck instantly.

Big Daddy looks around alarmed, as he notices his turrets are destroyed, seeing Splicers fighting around their smoking remains. "Mooouuuhhh..." Big Daddy snaps out of his stupor, and rushes forward to the Bistro, running by Splicers beating each other up. It is just as crowded inside the Bistro as it is outside, with many Splicers attacking each other as well. Big Daddy runs past many of the Splicers, charging at one that is in his way.

"Wha!?" The Splicer looks to his left, as Big Daddy hits him across the face with a left outward swing, knocking the Splicer to the ground limplessely. The other Splicers starts digging into his corpse for ADAM, while Big Daddy runs out the Bistro's rear entrance and abruptly stops, spreading his arms and legs apart in shock upon seeing what lies ahead.

It is unbelievable. Hundreds and hundreds of Splicers are causing havoc in the remaining part of the tunnel to the Apartment complex, all of them getting at each others' throats. The once quiet tram tunnel is now filled with the screams of psychopaths and the deafening sound of continuous gunfire. Big Daddy has never seen so many Splicers in one location. He didn't even think there would still be this many alive. How they all managed to get here so suddenly has made even the monstrous protector to stop in his tracks. "Buurggh.." Big Daddy fingers twitch, as the Protector looks over the battlefield, seeing the Apartment Complex at a distance, seeing more Splicers attacking one another inside. There is no other way around this; Big Daddy knows that he has to keep moving forward for his sake and for the Little Sister. "GUUURRRGHGHHHH!" With a loud groan, Big Daddy rushes forward into the array, dashing past several Splicers that are too distracted in their fights to notice him. The sounds of gunfire and death around Big Daddy grows louder, pushing him to run even faster.

"WHERE DO YA THINK YA GOIN'!?" Suddenly, a Thuggish Splicer on top of a burning flipped tram nearby jumps on Big Daddy's back, causing Big Daddy to nearly fall over from his momentum. Big Daddy then turns around, trying to knock of the Splicer with his arm and drill, but the Splicer constantly shifts his weight around to avoid getting grabbed, "Oi! Give me 'and! This bucket must 'ave a Little Sisteh hidin' somewhere!"

A Leadhead Splicer then gets close to the struggling Big Daddy and shoots him repeatedly with his shotgun, "Come on! Bring the girl out!"

"GOORRRGH!" Big Daddy then turns violently at the Leadhead Splicer, swinging his drill outward.

"Guughh!" The tip of the drill scrapes across the Leadhead's neck, gashing it open as blood spurts out immediately afterwards. The Splicer gasps for air, as it then falls dead near the burning tram.

"Oh s**t!" The Thuggish Splicer on Big Daddy gasped, as Big Daddy then grabs him by the shirt collar while he was distracted, "AHH!" Big Daddy slams the Splicer onto his back and stomps on his face with his right foot, crushing his skull for good measure.

Big Daddy then hears someone rushing at him from the side, as he turns to their direction, only to see a big fist heading straight for his face.

"UGGHHH!" Big Daddy cried, as the force of the punch staggers him back a little, feeling dazed from the knock-back. Before Big Daddy can retaliate, someone else grabs him from behind and slams his back against the tram. "URGH!" Big Daddy then gets punched in the abdomen hard enough for him to double over, as the same attacker then grabs him by his back and hurls him across the ground. Big Daddy lands on the ground, tumbling sideways until he hits the glass wall of the tunnel with a loud thud. Big Daddy gets back up on one knee, staggering to regain his composure, as his two assailants stand side by side, leering at the Protector from the tram tracks.

The two are Brute Splicers, heavily spliced from a dangerous combination of tonics. They are roughly Big Daddy's height, both bald with a five-o-clock shadow. They are wearing suit pants and a vest with a white undershirt, nearly ripped apart from their gigantic arms and body figures.

"Take a look at this little whore. It looks like she wants some more." Said Brute #2, who hurled Big Daddy just now.

Brute #1 hits his fists together with a growl, "She's in for a good poundin'!" Brute #1 said, as he then charges at Big Daddy shoulder first, "HIYAAAAHH!"

Big Daddy's portholes glow red with anger, as he gets up and turns at the incoming Brute. He extends his arm, and shoots a breeze of ice on the ground ahead of him, creating a slippery slope. "Uph!?" Brute #1 runs over the icy path, losing his footing as he stumbles forward to the Protector. Big Daddy then swings his drill into Brute #1's left shoulder, cutting some of his shirt and skin off. "AHH!" Brute falls on his right shoulder in pain, tumbling up against the glass wall near Big Daddy, who readies his drill to pierce into the Splicer while he was down.

"GUURHH!" Suddenly, Big Daddy swings his drill outward, knocking aside a Splicer's corpse that flew towards him. Big Daddy sees Brute #2 throwing things at him from afar, as Brute #2 picks up another corpse and throws at Big Daddy again. Big Daddy groans loudly as he charges at Brute #2, knocking the incoming corpse away with a left outward swing and throws a left fist at the Splicer's face.

"Tsk!" Brute #2 catches Big Daddy's fist with his right hand, as he then pulls Big Daddy closer to him and kicks him hard in the abdomen with his left foot. Big Daddy doubles over from the impact, while Brute #2 clamps his hands together, and hammers Big Daddy's back with great force, pushing the Protector down on his knees. "Come on, now! Open wide for daddy!"

"BUURGGHHH!" Big Daddy quickly gets back up, lifting Brute #2 off the ground with his upper body, knocking him a few feet away as the Splicers lands hard on his knees. Big Daddy then shoots a bolt of electricity at Brute #2, who gets stunned by the current flowing around his body. Big Daddy readies his drill again, but Brute #1 comes from behind and wraps his arms around Big Daddy's waist.

"URAAHH!" Brute #1 arches backwards with Big Daddy, suplexing the Protector onto the pavement behind him. Big Daddy groans in pain, feeling the pavement crack under his shoulders while helplessly staring up at the sea through the glass above. Meanwhile, Brute #2 recovers from the electricity, seeing Big Daddy being held by his partner, who struggles to keep Big Daddy from escaping his grasp, "You awake over there?! Hurry up and kill this b***h!"

"Right!" Brute #2 cracks his neck, as he then charges at Big Daddy and jumps on top of him. Big Daddy tries to raise his drill, but Brute #2 pushes it down with his left hand over Big Daddy's right bicep, and proceeds to punch Big Daddy in the face with his free hand, "Come on then! Call her out!" Brute #2 punches Big Daddy, bending the bars over Big Daddy's helmet inwards, "If you don't call her out soon, we'll force you to watch us f*** the ADAM out of her!"

"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGHH!" Big Daddy's diving suit glows red in anger, causing steam to fly out from it's openings.

"AGGHH!" The Brute Splicers are caught off guard by this, as Brute #2 covers his face with his right arm to stop the steam burning his face. The steam loses its pressure, as Brute #2 raises his arm to see if it is safe. "GUGH!" Immediately after exposing himself, Big Daddy grabs Brute #2 by the face, grasping his fingertips over his forehead. "Le-Let go! Let g-UuuruuugUUGHHHH!" Big Daddy's hand is then encased in ice, partially freezing the Brute's forehead and eyebrows in a cyan surface, "UuuuUUURGGHH! COOLD! COOOLD!" Brute #2 gets off of Big Daddy involuntarily, as Big Daddy then raises his left leg and kicks Brute #2 in the gut, knocking him on his back as the Splicer puts his hands over his face in sheer agony. Big Daddy then activates his drill, placing it over Brute #1's hands around him, scraping chunks of his skin off.

"AAGGGUUH!" Brute #1 cried, as he releases Big Daddy, pushing him to the side to get back up. He stands looking at the back of his hands, having almost lost them as they are bleeding from the cuts at a rapid rate. "Auurggh! You stupid b***h!" Brute #1 turns to Big Daddy with his hands clenched into fists. His eyes then widen in shock, seeing Big Daddy rushing towards him. "UGH!" Big Daddy shoulder barges the Splicer hard, sending the brute rolling backwards few feet in a limp-less fashion.

"OORAAHH!" Brute #2 charges Big Daddy from behind, reeling his left fist back in the process. Brute #2 then throws his fist forward, as Big Daddy quickly turns around, knocking aside the Splicer's arm with his drill, "Guh!?" Big Daddy then punches the brute across the jaw with his left hand, staggering the Splicer a little to the side. Brute #2 grits his teeth in anger, as he looks back at the Protector to retaliate, but Big Daddy surprises him by doing a left 360 degree spin with his drill, performing an inward slash at the Brute. "Whoa!" Brute #2 kneels to his left corner, narrowly avoiding the deadly drill hitting him across the skull, feeling only the heavy air of blood and rust flowing by. "I got you no-URGH!" Brute #2 grunts, as Big Daddy instantly knees him up across the jaw, causing him to stand up in pain while shielding his face with his arms. Big Daddy swings his drill outwardly, knocking away the Brute's arms, scraping off some of his skin in the process, as Big Daddy proceeds to uppercut the Brute up across the jaw, breaking some of his teeth. "OOOGHHHH!"

Blood splurts from the Splicer's mouth, as Brute #2's breathing grows raspy from the damage he is receiving. He staggers back slowly in a near unconscious state, as Big Daddy rushes towards him. Brute #2 blinks heavily, regaining consciousness, as the Splicer then makes a desperate leap at Big Daddy's left shoulder. Big Daddy gets past the brute's arms and grabs Brute #2 by his shirt collar, catching and lifting him up with one arm. The Protector then throws the Splicer to the side, as the Splicer tumbles near the burning tram. "GUUOOOOGHHH!" Big Daddy roars as he activates his drill and rushes over at the nearly dead Brute, aiming for his chest.

"Get outta the way!" Brute #1 rushes to his partner's side, pulling him away from Big Daddy's path moments away before he could get skewered. Brute #2 lands on his side in a weakened state, as Brute #1 quickly grabs Big Daddy's right bicep with both arms the moment Big Daddy got close. Brute #1 shifts his weight over the Protector's right side, pulling him down to the ground with him, holding him down with his all strength in an armbar position. Big Daddy struggles to break free, but is only making circles with Brute #1 re-positioning himself every few seconds.

"Grr! F**k off!" Brute #1 growled at struggling Protector. He then raises his voice, "Oi! Give me a hand! This one is nearly dead!"

Some of the Splicers around the fight stopped what they were doing, as they see their one big threat being subdued. "A Big Daddy here?" One of them ask, drooling nonstop. They tightened their grip over their weapons, having a sensation they have killed countless times to maintain.

"If we kill him," A female Spider Splicer, clanking her hooks against each other excitedly, "Then we get the little prize!"

"That Little Sister is mine!"

The Splicers then encompass Big Daddy in a bloodthirsty manner, some of them firing their shotguns and machine guns at him, while other splicers bang and scratch the Protecter with their hammers and hooks while being careful not to get shot. Big Daddy's suit clanks and rattles with every blow, scratch, and shot it receives, with the Protector's innards shaking in the process. Big Daddy's portholes glow yellow, as he tries harder to get up and fight back, but it is too difficult for him to move with Brute #1 holding him down by his drill arm. Big Daddy groans, moving a little slower as the damage is taking its toll. He looks around during his struggle, seeing the rest of Splicers that aren't even attacking him, which are far too many to count. There is just far too many Splicers for him to handle. As a Splicer hits him over the head with a wrench, he looks down at a puddle, looking at the reflection of the glass ceiling over him. Big Daddy then fiercely puts his palm on the ground, portholes glowing red with adrenaline.

"GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Big Daddy pushes himself up on his knees, giving him enough room to put the tip of his drill on the ground in front of him.

"What the!?" Brute #1 is raised with the drill, which activates as Big Daddy raises it a little more and stabs the ground with full force. The drill skewers hard at the ground, creating a crack and a small shockwave that knocks every Splicer nearby away. Big Daddy roars, skewering into the ground repeatedly, creating a blue wave around his drill in the process. "Aaaah!" The Splicers screamed, as the shockwaves are also blowing rubble from the cracked floor into their beings as fast as bullets, killing some of them while the rest scurry away in pain. Brute #1 continues to hold Big Daddy despite of the struggle, as he breathes heavily while his stomach is already bleeding from the rubble blown into him. The Brute's eyes grow heavy, slowly loosening his grip, which Big Daddy notices as he stops drilling the ground.

"GOOOAAAAHH!" Big Daddy shoots a strong gust of wind from his palm at the ground beneath him, sending him and Brute #1 spiraling up in the air across the track.

"Aaaaaahhh!" Brute #1 cried in midair, startled enough to keep holding on to Big Daddy. As the two spin 360 degrees, Big Daddy pulls Brute #1 by the collar, keeping him close as the two do a few more spins while heading towards the ground. The two land roughly on their sides, creating a large crack on their landing spot before tumbling sideways shortly afterwards. Big Daddy stops himself with his right foot in a kneeling position, skidding across the ground a little, quickly planting the Brute's cheek up against his drill. "N-Ngh!?" Brute #1's eyes widen with horror, seeing the blood of his cheek course along the blade of the drill, too weak from their battle to get away in time, "W-W-Wait! WAIT! J-Just calm dow-"

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHHHHH!" Big Daddy activates his drill, scraping and slicing the right half of the Brute's face into mince meat. The Splicer cried like never before, as blood, gore, and bone bits splur out of his insides, all of which bathes over Big Daddy's figure and the ground around him. Big Daddy then drags the Splicer's face across the other end of his drill, scathing away half of his head, as he then lets the brute go, who falls lifelessly on the bloody ground chest first, blood still coming out.

Big Daddy takes a moment before getting back up on his feet, as the damage he has taken so far is getting to him. "YEARGGHH!" Suddenly, the moment Big Daddy stands up, Brute #2 charges at him with a tackle, knocking the Protector down on his back. "You 'kin b****h!" Brute #2 slurred, spitting out blood, as he then grabs the staggering Big Daddy up and throws him up against a burning tram. With his sense of adrenaline kicking in, Brute #2 holds Big Daddy up against the tram, slowly damaging him with the flames.

"You think you're so tough!? You need to know your place!" Brute #2 grits his teeth, trying to ignore the pain of his fingers burning, "You're built to keep us away from our treasure! You are MEANT to die! That liddle b***h you have following you around is MEANT to die! People like me still have a chance! People like me deserve to live! Puppets like you deserve nothing!"

In that moment, Big Daddy clenches his hand into a fist and punches Brute #2 directly in the center of his frozen forehead, "AAAGGGHHH - AAAGGHH!" Brute #2 releases Big Daddy, taking several steps back, turning around with his hands against his head hunched over in agony, "Uughh.. uggh.. AAHH! IT HURTS! AAUGUHHH!" Brute #2 lowers his hands from his skull, revealing his frozen forehead is cracked open, with bits of skull sticking out and blood seeping profusely from the cracks, flowing over the Splicer's face.

Big Daddy staggers forward, with his shoulders and back glowing red from the fire, as the Protector's body then shakes with fury. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!" Big Daddy spreads out his arms and legs, throwing his head back with a loud ghastly roar, stunning every Splicer that is nearby. Brute #2 gets startled by the roar, unintentionally turning towards Big Daddy in the process. As Brute #2 opens his eyes, he sees Big Daddy through his bloody, thrusting his drill at him.

"GUUUUUGHH!" Brute #2 cried, as Big Daddy skewers him with his drill, going through his stomach and out his backside. Big Daddy continues to roar, driving the skewered Splicer off his feet and slamming his back against the glass tunnel, creating a crack that is larger than the brute himself. The Brute's eyes roll back into his head, as Big Daddy's drill doesn't shut off. It continues to drill the Splicer, spewing blood from the corpse's wounds, as the drill is also making the glass tunnel's crack bigger. The Protector continues, as the crack spreads farther and wider, creating more leaks into the tunnel in the process. The remaining Splicers stop fighting each other upon hearing the crackling noise, looking up to see water seeping from the cracks above.

"The hell is...!?" The Splicers turn over at Big Daddy, still drilling the Brute's corpse and the glass, bathing his suit with the blood of the Brute. They flabbergast at the Protector, "What is he doing!?

"He's going to kill us!"

"Not if I can help it!" A leadhead splicer fires her machine gun repeatedly at Big Daddy's back, "Naughty boys deserve to go to bed early!"

"Yeah! Kill the defective f**k!" a dozen more join in, shooting Big Daddy from behind mercilessly with their machine guns and shotguns. The bullets clank and bounce of the Protector's back and engine, causing him to groan in distress as his portholes flicker with each bullet hitting him. He is too weak to fight any more Splicers.

"GuuuuuuUUUUUURGAAAAGHH!" Big Daddy's portholes stop flickering and glow bright red with anger, as he musters up enough strength to speed up his drill, which skewers through the glass, causing the crack encompassing a large portion the tunnel's right side to burst inward.

A large quantity of ocean water cascades into the tunnel, stopping the war amongst the Splicer in one second. Big Daddy falls back with Big Daddy, with the Brute's corpse falling over him as the water pours in. "NOOOO!" The Splicers cried out, as they then get caught in the water's heavy flow, filling the tunnel up at a quick-neck pace. The rapid flow knocks a tram up from the ground, crashing into the Bistro, which instantly drowns moments after the tunnel collapsed. The water flows in hard into the Apartment complex, with several Splicers trying to escape by going up the higher floors, with one Splicer losing his grip on the handrail and cries as he falls into the rising below. The water flows rapidly into the sewers, shaking it in the process, as the water reaches the Sanctuary. The drawing of Big Daddy and Little Sister on the wall gets caught in the wave, which drowns the Sanctuary moments later.

All of Olympus Heights is now underwater after two minutes since the tunnel collapsed, as its power goes out, having nothing but dead bodies floating around in different locations. Many of the corpses lie around where the tunnel collapsed, as well as the first Brute Splicer floating lifelessly above the tunnel grounds.

"Gooooooooaaahh..." Being the only one that survived, Big Daddy gets up with the Brute's corpse around his drill. He pushes the corpse off his drill, as the body floats around lifelessly with a blood hole in its a chest. The protector then turns and takes a step forward along the tunnel, knocking the dust up beneath it. His portholes glow yellow, as he looks at his surroundings, seeing that there is no one stopping him from moving forward. His body is stiff from all the damage he's taken, but he is still strong enough to move. With a soft groan he marches towards the Apartment complex, walking slowly in the ocean water as he pushes aside a Splicer's corpse that was floating in his way. As the Protector walks, he listens to the song that was playing in the radio a while ago in his head, hearing its final notes play out.

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A man lying against the back gate removes his arms covering his forehead, as he and the rest of Heihachi's guards notice that the quake has ended just moments ago. They look around dazed and confused, slowly recuperating from the prior event. "Uuhh..." Some of them pull themselves up on their feet with the wooden hand rails, while others use the back yard's gate. They adjusted their suits and sunglasses, as one of them looks ahead, "Heihachi-sama! Are you alright!?"

On the other end of the backyard, Heihachi maintains his meditative stance despite of the recent circumstances. He has not moved a single muscle since that ordeal, having no signs of injuries or distress on his being. His guards sigh in relief upon seeing this.

"Oh good. He's okay." One of the guards said. They all then face each other, "Is everyone alright?"

"A few scratches, but we're fine." Another guard replied.

"We need to check back in the shrine. We must report any damages here and outside of the estate."

"It looks like everything is fine here." The guards look around the back yard, seeing nothing out of place before the quake occurred.

"It seems that way. That's... strange, as a matter of fact."

As the guards continue to discuss, Heihachi opens his eyes and looks down at the ground to his right. He places his palm gently on the stone floor, dragging it across slowly, taking note of every tile and indents in between. He frowns, clenching his open hand into a fist as he gets up on his feet, standing straight. He closes his eyes again, taking a deep breath, exhaling it out of his nostrils. Electricity then courses along his body briefly, as he squats midway and turns around.

"HOOORAAAAAHHH!" Heihachi turns, raising his right foot high, and stomps the ground with all his might, shaking the ground around him with half the magnitude of the earthquake for a brief moment, having electricity course along his right leg as well.

"Huh!?" The guards startle as they feel the vibrations from Heihachi's stomp reaching them just reaching them from afar. They look over to their Master, who stays posing in his stomp position. They continue to stare, having no clue why Heihachi did that.

Suddenly, the guards hear something snapping to their right. They turn to see the rotten tree is inclining further over at Heihachi's position. One of the guards looks down at the base of the tree, seeing its roots snapping one by one. The guards gasp in awe.

"Look out, Heihachi-sama!" One of the guards yelled, as the trees roots then snap, causing it to fall over at Heihachi's direction. The guards hurry to Heihachi, but they are too far to reach their Master in time, as the upper part of the tree goes down at Heihachi. Sensing it coming, Heihachi's eyes shoot open, as the old warrior drags his right foot across the ground behind his back, squatting a little lower while reeling his right fist against his waist.

"TORRRYAAAAA!" Heihachi's right arm courses with electricity, as he then stands up and swings his right fist vertically , hitting the falling tree with a fierce short uppercut. The tree gets knocked up a few feet, as its upper half splits in half almost instantly, looking like it was cut by a long blade, with no splinters sticking out as well. The tree falls hard on the ground, with the split halves landing in a distance beside Heihachi, who keeps his fist raised. The guards stare in awe, as Heihachi lowers his arms next to his waist, looking down at his fist "That was no earthquake!" He turns around midway, looking at the sky with a serious expression, "_The aura is gone... but where did it come from!?_"

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, because there is more goodness to come. Ciao for now!**


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